What Buena Park considered

Buena Park held two City Council meetings on this date: a Special Meeting at 3:30 PM devoted entirely to closed session, and the Regular Meeting at 5:00 PM (the agenda reserves a 6:00 PM slot for public hearings, but none was listed). Both convened at the Council Chamber, 6650 Beach Boulevard. This brief covers both, each item marked by which meeting it came from. These are the items the council was scheduled to consider from the posted agendas — official results are pending; as of this writing, Buena Park had not posted minutes or an action agenda for either meeting. Every item links to the official record.

Source: Regular Meeting agenda (PDF) · Special Meeting agenda (PDF) · meeting page

✅ What actually passed (per the draft minutes): The city's draft minutes for the Regular Meeting — posted in AgendaLink's "review" status, not yet adopted by the council — record the $1,034,916.64 final payment to Hardy and Harper, Inc. for the Dale Street Rehabilitation Project (New Business) as approved 4-0 on a motion by Sonne, seconded by Traut, at 5:34 PM, with Council Member Hoque absent. The consent calendar — minutes, claims and demands, the July Treasurer's report, the VCA Code professional services agreement, and both Grand Jury responses (Items 4.A–4.F) — was approved 4-0 in one motion (Franco/Ahn, 5:30 PM), Sonne, Franco, Ahn, and Traut voting yes and Hoque absent. The draft records no motions for the two study-session items (local restaurants at city events; the automated call-taking pilot), which were direction items. The Special Meeting's closed session shows no reportable action in the draft record. We will update this when the council adopts the minutes.

The headline: the council was scheduled to close out the Dale Street Rehabilitation Project with a $1,034,916.64 final payment to Hardy and Harper, Inc. — a $1,943,546.65 job that finished $46,453.35 under its $1,990,000 budget, yet still needed a $115,000 transfer from the Commonwealth Avenue account because design-consultant costs were left out of the project budget at award. The evening's study session sought direction on a roughly $25,000 one-year pilot of Aurelian's AI-assisted call-taking platform for the police communications center, and the afternoon Special Meeting returned the council to closed-door price-and-terms talks over 6591 Beach Boulevard with CH Buena Park, LLC — the same negotiation listed on the August 11 special-meeting agenda, according to the minutes in this packet.

Regular Meeting, 5:00 PM

🏗️ For contractors & vendors

$1,034,916.64 final payment to Hardy and Harper, Inc. for the Dale Street Rehabilitation Project from Crescent Avenue to SR-91, with acceptance of the project as complete and a Notice of Completion. The council awarded the contract at $1,850,000 on March 10, 2026; two change orders (red curb modifications and signs, $67,622.10; quantity adjustments, $25,924.55) brought the final contract cost to $1,943,546.65. Retention of $97,177.33 is to be released after the 35-day lien period, and Anaheim owes Buena Park $56,354 under a cooperative agreement for its share. Work included asphalt rehabilitation, ADA curb ramps, new Class II bike lanes from La Palma Avenue to the cul-de-sac near SR-91, and enhanced-visibility crosswalks. Staff also asked for a $115,000 budget transfer from the Commonwealth Avenue account (24-9806-590190) because design-consultant costs were "inadvertently omitted" from the project budget at award. Regular Item 5.A
Not to exceed $150,000 for a Professional Services Agreement with The Code Group, Inc. (dba VCA Code) for as-needed building inspection, plan review, planning, and related services in Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Staff asked the council to dispense with formal bidding under Municipal Code Section 3.28.080(H), citing VCA Code's institutional knowledge and below-market pricing; the prior agreement was raised from $150,000 to $190,000 on June 9, 2026. Staff said it plans to go out to bid during the new term. Regular Item 4.D

🎙️ Study session: an AI call-taking pilot, and local vendors at city events

Automated 911 and non-emergency call-taking pilot: Police Captain Nghia Nguyen sought direction on a one-year pilot of Aurelian's AVA & CORA platform for the police communications center, which took more than 67,000 calls in 2025 — about 41,000 (61%) non-emergency. The department evaluated Motorola Hyper, Axon Prepared, and Aurelian, and identified Aurelian as the preferred vendor as the only one offering a discounted one-year pilot. The year-one cost is approximately $25,000, funded with Asset Forfeiture funds; Aurelian also offered a three-year option with two additional years at $63,000 each. Staff said the system would not eliminate any full-time positions and that the proposal was discussed with the Buena Park Police Association under Assembly Bill 339. Direction only — no contract was before the council. Regular Item 9.B
Local restaurants at city special events: at Council Member Ahn's request, staff asked whether the city should give Buena Park-based restaurants and businesses priority over outside vendors at city-sponsored events, most of which now use food trucks. Non-truck vendors need an Orange County Health Care Agency Temporary Food Facility permit — $640 per year or $217 per event for Category II under the current fee schedule. Discussion item, not a policy adoption. Regular Item 9.A

📋 Consent calendar

Two Orange County Grand Jury responses: the city's written replies to the 2025-2026 reports "California Housing Mandates: The Unintended Reshaping of Orange County Neighborhoods" Regular Item 4.E and "PFAS and Public Awareness: A Closer Look at Orange County Drinking Water" Regular Item 4.F.
Routine items: minutes of the August 11, 2026 Special and Regular meetings Regular Item 4.A; resolutions approving claims and demands, including one allowing $2,202,554.83 for demand numbers 437318 through 437517 Regular Item 4.B; and the Treasurer's Report for July 2026 Regular Item 4.C.

🪑 Also on the agenda

No public hearing was listed for the 6:00 PM hearing slot. Regular Item 6
Certificates for Amy Lee and the Buena Park Middle School Creative Crew for completing Youth Microgrant projects, and a 20-year service award to Sarah Guerra of the City Clerk's Office. Regular Item 2

Special Meeting, 3:30 PM

🔒 Closed session

6591 Beach Boulevard: a real-property negotiation between the City of Buena Park (City Manager Aaron France) and CH Buena Park, LLC over price, terms, and conditions. The August 11 special-meeting minutes attached to the regular agenda list the same property and party, with no reportable action taken that day. Special Item 3.B
Anticipated litigation, one potential case: the city sought legal advice on whether to protect its rights and interests by initiating litigation (Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(4)). Special Item 3.A
Anticipated litigation, two potential cases: the City Attorney advised there is significant exposure to litigation against the city (Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(2)). Special Item 3.C

Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.