STAFF REPORT
City Council Business Item
DATE: February 3, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Amy Nilsen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Authorize City Manager to Execute Professional Services Agreement with Jen Rice Consults and Supplemental Budget Request
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize the City Manager to execute the professional services agreement with Jen Rice Consults and approve a supplemental budget request in the amount of $18,810.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Per the City Council’s Policy and Procedures Manual the City Council every two years following a City Council election, meets with department managers in a goal setting/priority projects session to review progress on goals previously set, and defines new goals, and objectives for the City. This has not been done in a number of years.
At the December 15, 2024 City Council meeting during Future Agenda Item discussion, the Council requested the City develop goals as stated in the City Council’s Policies and Procedures Manual. A brief discussion took place where the City Manager asked the Council if they would be open to a more thorough process to work on vision and goals in a more comprehensive approach involving the community, and the City Council was agreeable to this option.
Before your City Council is a professional services agreement to begin public engagement which offers the City an innovative and community-based approach to proactively understand community priorities by asking and listening to a board swath of the community, analyzing the feedback received during listening sessions, designing strategic timelines and objectives, and then finally agreeing on next steps such as polices, practices and projects. This process is more community-based and comprehensive in nature than what is described in the Policies and Procedures Manual.
The initial supplemental budget request is for $18,810 for the first phase of the project. After this phase of the project is complete there will be a check-in with the City Council for feedback and to determine if entering into the second phase of the project for an additional dollar amount totaling $15,475 is of value to the Council. There is an option with Fortuna staff assistance to reduce the cost of the project, however, that is dependent upon staff availability to perform data analysis and the current workload may not allow for this.
Business Item 5g
Business Item 5g
CONCLUSION:
Investing in a professional services agreement to help the City with prioritizing community feedback and priorities will assist the City Council and staff listen to community members and each other, surfacing, understanding, and clarifying vision, values, interests, and priorities to guide leadership, strategy, agreements, and decision-making, all in a way that invests in relationships, partnerships, and transparency with, and relevancy to, the community at large.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The $18,810 supplemental budget request will come from City reserves. A future supplemental budget request of $15,475 will be brought at a future date. In addition, the City Manager has been in communication with the McLean Foundation to provide grant assistance for this project.
Should a grant be received it would reduce the total cost of the project? Costs for staff time to meet with the consultant and engage in this work is already included in the budget as salaries.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
1. Receive staff presentation and review Council questions with staff
2. Open Public Comment
3. Close Public Comment
4. Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute the professional services agreement with Jen Rice Consults and approve a supplemental budget request for $18,810. Voice vote.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Professional Services Agreement with Jen Rice Consults • Supplemental Budget Request