Item 29 - Second Amendment to Agreement with RSG, Inc.

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Second Amendment to Agreement with RSG, Inc. November 7, 2023 Page 2 3 8 5 8 o The Rental Registry and Rental Registry Fee was approved by City Council in the amended Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance on October 18, 2022. •The procurement for a fee study consultant and the completion of a fee study to determine the Rental Registry Fee. o Following the adoption of the amended Ordinance, staff issued a Request for Proposals for a fee study consultant. The consultant entered into an agreement with the City on January 3, 2023 and completed the fee study that was presented to City Council on May 16, 2023. •The adoption of the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule and FY 2023-24 Budget. o Following the receipt of the fee study, City Council adopted the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule on June 6, 2023 and the FY 2023-24 Budget on June 20, 2023. o Only after the required steps above had been completed and the FY 2023-24 Budget was adopted, staff was authorized by City Council to begin recruitment for City staff to administer the Ordinance. Although the City now has one full-time employee in the Rent Stabilization Division to administer the Ordinance, staff continues to need RSG to effectively administer the Ordinance and serve tenants and landlords in the community. Additional staff will be hired to administer the Ordinance after the City begins to collect revenue from the Rental Registry Fee; this is expected to begin in January 2024. Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council approve a Second Amendment to the Agreement with RSG for a total amount not to exceed $500,000 (Exhibit 1). Under this Second Amendment, RSG will continue assisting the City to administer the Ordinance by providing the following services: •Register rental units in the Rental Registry. •Provide temporary staffing to respond to in-person and telephone inquiries from tenants and landlords regarding the Rental Registry and Ordinance. •Respond to continuous general public information inquiries via e-mail and telephone. •Conduct outreach and engagement including Rental Registry workshops for landlords. •Review and process Fair Return Petitions, Capital Improvement Petitions, and Tenant Petitions. •Assist the City Clerk and staff with the formation of the Rental Housing Board, including Board member trainings, orientations, and materials. •Create outreach and engagement materials including periodically mailed letters, newsletters, e-mails, workshops, and website updates. •Refer tenant legal matters and interpretation questions to community legal aid organizations, as needed. •Calculate the allowable rent increase based on the Consumer Price Index. •Provide new and temporary staff training, including training materials.