Agenda Item Wording:
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Purchase of Tuatara UTV Electric Vehicles - Authorize the City Manager to award a sole source purchase order to ZeroNox Inc., Porterville, CA, for an amount not to exceed $138,539 and appropriate an additional $38,539 from the General Fund.
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Deadline for Action: 5/19/2025
Submitting Department: Community Services
Contact Name and Phone Number: Daryl Tillman, Park Maintenance Supervisor 713-4435; daryl.tillman@visalia.city Alvin Dias, Parks and Facilities Manager 713-4564; alvin.dias@visalia.city Jason Glick, Parks and Recreation Director 713-4042; jason.glick@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award a sole source purchase order using the Public Benefits Grant with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for the purchase of four electric UTV vehicles from ZeroNox Inc., of Porterville, for an amount not to exceed $138,539.
Background Discussion:
At the May 20, 2024, City of Visalia Council Meeting, City Council approved the adoption of Resolution 2024-22 approving the application to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Public Benefit Grants Program for the purchase of new alternative fuel vehicles within various City Departments
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is currently offering the Public Benefit Grants Program. The purpose of this program is to fund the purchase of new electric, plug-in hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicles for public agencies to promote clean air alternative-fuel technologies and the use of low- or zero-emission vehicles in public fleets.
The applicant must meet several different criteria to be eligible for submission of the grant application. Some of the criteria include being a public agency such as cities, counties, special districts, public educational institutions, or any other public agency as defined by Government Code section 6252, including those agencies provided for in Article IV and Article VI of the California Constitution, that are located within the geographic area of the SJVAPCD, commit to a three (3) year contract period, and own and operate the vehicle(s) for the full term of the contract.
The Parks and Recreation Department currently has funds budgeted within the Parks Maintenance Division’s Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) budget for the purchase of four (4) electric utility vehicles. These vehicles would replace the two (2) fossil fuel John Deere Gators that are used daily to perform maintenance tasks within the City’s parks system, such as herbicide application, litter pick up, and transportation within parks to reduce damage to the park turf.
Staff researched UTV vehicles that would serve the needs of the department and meet grant requirements. After reviewing other electric UTV vehicles, the Tuatara 1500E is the only UTV that meets the towing and payload specifications required for daily tasks of the Parks and Trails divisions. Staff then reached out to local agencies in the area that had been using the Tuartaras. Both Tulare County Parks and the City of Tulare were happy with the UTVs and had not experienced any maintenance issues with the Tuatara vehicles. The Tuatara 1500E also meets the Public Benefit Grants Program requirements and the specifications were submitted during the grant application approval process. Staff reached out to Tuatara dealers for cost estimates and discovered that several of these vendors are no longer dealers for the Tuatara brand. ZeroNox is the Tuatara vendor in Porterville and is the only vendor with four (4) vehicles in stock. Zeronox also works directly with the San Joaquin Valley Air Board to provide the required grant documentation during purchasing.
Fiscal Impact:
The adopted budget for FY 24/25 includes an appropriation of $100,000 (CIP VH0244) to replace (2) John Deere Gators with (4) Electric Utility Vehicles. The project funding included $80k from grant funds (001) and $20k from the Vehicle Replacement Fund (502). The total cost for the purchase of the four (4) Tuatara UTV vehicles is $138,539 which results in a budget shortfall of $38,539. Based on the price, staff is requesting an additional appropriation of $38,539 from the General Fund.
Prior Council Action: On May 20, 2024, City of Visalia Council Meeting, City Council approved the adoption of Resolution 2024-22 approving the application to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Public Benefit Grants Program for the purchase of new alternative fuel vehicles within various City Departments.
Other: None
Alternatives: Reject the purchase and look for an alternative vehicle.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve an appropriation of $38,539 from the General Fund and authorize the City Manager to award a sole source purchase order for the purchase of four electric UTV vehicles from ZeroNox Inc., of Porterville using the Public Benefits Grant with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for an amount not to exceed $138,539.
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Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments: ZeroNox Inc. Quote, SJVAPCD Contracts, Resolution 2024-22