COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council
FROM: Guy A. Reynolds Parks Superintendent
SUBJECT:Title
Action: Cooperative Purchase of Twelve (12) Motorola Irrigation Controllers from Branif System, Inc. (Guy Reynolds)
Body
FUNDING SOURCE:
General Fund
PURPOSE:
To consider the cooperative purchase of twelve (12) Motorola Irrigation Controllers from Branif System, Inc., utilizing the General Services Administration (GSA) cooperative contract GS-07F-0185X (Oracle Contract 500312) in accordance with §3.10.010.3(A)(1).
BACKGROUND:
The City has relied on the Motorola irrigation control system since 2000 to manage irrigation across parks, medians, and sports fields. While the system has served the City well, both the software and much of the hardware are now outdated, increasingly unreliable, and no longer supported by the manufacturer.
Over the past several years, the City has faced increased maintenance costs, performance slowdowns, compatibility issues with Microsoft services, database failures, and limitations caused by outdated radio communications and aging hardware exposed to harsh environmental conditions. In addition, the legacy software utilized by the City is no longer supported by Branif or Motorola. This increases operational risk and leaves the City without a sustainable long-term path on the current platform.
In 2022, the City completed the first part of the modernization project, replacing 10 legacy controllers with the next-generation Motorola ACE3600 units. Once the first part of the project was completed, performance improvements were immediately noticeable. The system became faster and more reliable. Staff is currently requesting approval to purchase 12 additional controllers to finalize the modernization project. This will ensure that the City can fully migrate to FutureOps software, the modern cloud-native irrigation management system.
Benefits of the FutureOps software include:
• Fully cloud-native platform with significantly improved speed, reliability, and security
• Seamless access on web, mobile, and desktop with an intuitive, modern interface
• Advanced data reporting, mapping, and automation tools
• Reduced IT burden-no software installs or server maintenance required
• High-performance field automation that continues operating even without cloud connectivity
• Built-in readiness for upcoming AI tools for intelligent irrigation and water optimization
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The upgrade to the new FutureOps will enhance the City’s water efficiency program with the ability to use the cellular 5G network for faster communication interface. Weather data will be collected and utilized to make real time adjustments to the irrigation schedules. The collected data will reference wind, recitative humidity, ambient air temperature and surface moisture.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funds are allocated and available in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget in the amount of $244,897.87 in the Administrative Services Department, Information Technology Division, within the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS:
Branif Quote 3712
SUGGESTED MOTION:
I move to approve the cooperative purchase of twelve (12) Motorola ACE 3600 RTU irrigation controllers with Cellular LTE/5G from Branif Systems, Inc., in the amount of $244,897.87.