NEWPORT BEACH : City to Consider Hiring Landscape Contractor

The city could save an estimated $100,000 a year by contracting its roadside landscape maintenance out to a private business, a city committee said.

“It’s a very light figure. The number is probably closer to $125,000,” said Dave Niederhaus, director of the General Services Department.

The proposal is the result of two studies--one in-house and one by an independent consultant--undertaken after the City Council requested that city department heads examine what services might be privatized.

If it meets the approval of the City Council Monday, Niederhaus said, he will look into “piggybacking” a contract with Costa Mesa or another city that uses a private tree trimmer for the same services.

Most of the savings would be in salary and benefits costs. Contracting out services could mean reducing the general services staff by up to six positions, but layoffs are unlikely because five positions are currently open.

If those positions are eliminated, Niederhaus said he would have to consider cutting a management position so the department will not be top-heavy.

In any case, he said, an outside contractor would be encouraged to hire any city employee whose job was eliminated, and the city would try to place workers in other departments ifnecessary.

It is also possible that up to seven other employees could face salary reductions and/or demotions as part of the process, Niederhaus noted, so the city would have to meet with the employee union before finalizing a contract.

Private landscapers have been forced to lower their prices in recent years because of the recession, he said. The city contracted out landscaping services under similar circumstances in the late 1970s, but switched back to in-house trimming after a year because contractor prices rose.