Fresno City Council Approves $125,000 Contract for Housing Relocation Consultant

Fresno City Council approved a $125,000 contract January 9 with Hamner Jewell & Associates to handle relocation and real estate acquisition services for city housing projects through January 31, 2028.

The contract runs on an as-needed basis. The city’s Planning and Development Department will use it for what the staff report calls “various projects and real estate acquisitions.” Seven firms submitted bids by the October 14, 2024 deadline. A selection committee picked Hamner Jewell based on qualifications and proposed fees.

The contract covers professional relocation services and real estate acquisition work. The material doesn’t state which specific projects will use the consultant or how much of the $125,000 budget the city expects to spend.

The Breakdown

• Beacon Integrated Professional Resources, doing business as Hamner Jewell & Associates, gets a three-year contract to provide relocation and real estate acquisition services when the city needs them.
• The contract caps total spending at $125,000 through January 31, 2028.
• The city will call on the consultant for housing projects run by the Planning and Development Department’s Housing Production Division.
• Seven firms competed for the work. The city evaluated them on qualifications and cost.

What This Means for You

This contract shows how your City Council budgets for housing work before specific projects are announced. The $125,000 of taxpayer money will pay for the consultant work behind real estate deals the city makes over the next three years.

What to Watch

The material doesn’t identify which housing projects will use this consultant. The contract runs as-needed, meaning the city can spend up to $125,000 without coming back for approval each time.