City Council:
AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS TO CONTRACT
WITH LABELLA ASSOCIATES, D.P.C. FOR FIRE
SAFETY AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS
Whereas, by letter dated June 24, 2024, the Commissioner for the Department of Buildings has requested legislation authorizing the Department of Buildings to contract with LaBella Associates, D.P.C., to perform fire safety and property maintenance inspections of Multiple Dwellings and Non-Residential occupancies as required by the Department of State; and
Whereas, the City of Mount Vernon is in the process of adopting the Department of State recommendations based upon a recent audit requested by the City; and
Whereas, the Department of State, in a letter dated April 15, 2024, has required the City of Mount Vernon to begin performing fire safety and property maintenance inspections of buildings on the Inspection List, including Public Assembly, Multiple Dwelling, and Non-Residential occupancies; and
Whereas, the Department of Buildings and the Fire Department have already commenced inspections of public assembly spaces, but the Department of Buildings lacks the resources to include Multiple Dwelling and Non-Residential occupancies; and
Whereas, the City is under a 120-day observation period to demonstrate measurable progress towards addressing this issue and other deficiencies; and
Whereas, the City seeks to timely engage a third-party consultant to assist with the required inspections to meet the state-imposed deadlines; and
Whereas, Section 6C of the Procurement Policy for the City of Mount Vernon allows for exceptions to the standard Request for Proposal (RFP) process for professional services when it is not practicable; and
Whereas, LaBella Associates, D.P.C. is currently under contract with the City for Plan Examination consultant services as a result of an RFP process conducted in February 2023, and has the experience, resources, and bandwidt...
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