Yuma targets fire hazards along river, park

With a state grant, Yuma will reduce wildland fire hazardous fuels on 34 acres of land along the Lower Colorado River and areas within and adjacent to the West Wetlands Park, including the park's Millennial and Gowan Groves.

The city received a $150,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. The funds will be used to cover the costs associated with reducing, removing and eliminating dead trees, brush and other combustibles.

Funds will also be used to hire a contractor for the hazardous fuels removal.

Wildland hazardous fuels include standing and downed trees, decaying and dead trees, woody materials, piles of leafy debris and green waste, overgrown connecting tree canopies, and fuel ladders touching the ground.

The city's budget will cover a 20% match requirement, which amounts to $37,500 and consists of in-kind contributions of staff time used to complete this project.

In other action, the council approved a $250,000 settlement in the cases of Woen v. City of Yuma and Redden v. City of Yuma. The settlement involves two personal injury lawsuits in Superior Court stemming from an alleged dog bite incident on Sept. 7, 2019.

The city's insurance carrier seeks to settle the two cases without going to trial, according to a staff report. To accomplish this, the city will contribute the remainder of the city's deductible towards the settlement and Travelers Insurance Co. will pay the balance.

The City Attorney's Office recommended approval of this settlement to obtain a "full and final release" of all claims alleged by the plaintiffs, the report noted.

The council also approved the following consent agenda items:

A contract for workers compensation services with TriStar Insurance Group of Long Beach, California, consisting of a one-year contract with the option to renew for four additional one-year periods, at an estimated annual expenditure of $42,000.

A request for proposals was conducted for a third-party administrator for workers compensation. The city received two responses, from TriStar and another from CorVel of Irvine, California. A team of evaluators reviewed and scored the responses based on the criteria in the solicitation.

The city has used TriStar for the last 10 years. The negotiated rate represents a reduction of about $11,000 from the previous contract, partially due to the city offering a triage nurse and the previous year claims.

An agreement and terms of employment with John "Jay" Simonton to serve as acting city administrator.

The purchase of telephone services from CenturyLink Communications of Monroe, Louisiana, with an estimated annual cost of $110,000. This three-year renewal provides the same services at a reduced rate, saving the city about $18,865 over the three-year term.

The appointment of Jediah Schmidgall to the Building Advisory Board and Sara Bowerman and Raul Canal to the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission, and the reappointment of Robert Valleni to the Yuma Fire Public Safety Board.