SUBJECT: GENERAL BUSINESS
Title
A Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Erie Authorizing the Town Administrator to Execute an Agreement for Professional Services with ___________________ for the Town of Erie Comprehensive Plan
Body
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Development
PRESENTER: Malcolm Fleming, Town Administrator
Deborah Bachelder AICP, Deputy Director of Planning & Development
TIME ESTIMATE: 30 minutes
only required for non-consent items
FISCAL SUMMARY:
Cost as Recommended: $378,450 contract price
Balance Available: $350,000
Budget Line Item Number: 100-30-410-560100-400000 ($250,000); 205-30-410-560100-400000 ($100,000)
New Appropriation Required: No
DOLA Grant Award for Project: 205-30-410-412200-400000 ($100,000)
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Board of Trustees consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation to hire Logan Simpson as a consultant for the update of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and provide staff with direction on next steps to hire a consultant. The Town Administrator will execute a contract based on the Board’s direction.
.End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The Board of Trustees and Planning Commission held a joint study session on October 5, 2021 to consider Josh Marks independent review of the process to hire a firm to work on the Comprehensive Plan Update, and to discuss actions to select a firm. During that October 5th meeting, the Board asked the Planning Commission to consider a recommendation during a properly noticed Commission meeting and forward that recommendation to the Board for consideration during the Board’s first regular meeting in November.
At the Planning Commission’s October 20th meeting the Commission approved on a 4-1 vote the attached resolution recommending the Board of Trustees approve a contract hiring the firm Logan Simpson Design Inc. to assist in the Comprehensive Plan update.
During the October 5 joint meeting, all Board members indicated they would support using the ranked choice vote (RCV) method of voting to select a consulting firm for the Comprehensive Plan work. However, there were strong differences of opinion among Board members on whether the vote should include just Board members, or also include the 7 members of the Planning Commission and the 10 members of the staff Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
If the Board wants to consider just the Planning Commission’s recommendation (Logan Simpson), then RCV is not necessary, as there would be only one firm under consideration. If the Board wants to use RCV among just the Board Members and consider all three firms ranked as finalists for the Comprehensive Plan work (Logan Simpson, Houseal Lavigne, and Design Workshop), staff will be prepared to facilitate that action during the November 9th meeting. However, if the Board wants to expand RCV to consider all three firms and include the Planning Commission and the TAC, staff will need to schedule that action for a later date to be able to manage the logistics associated with having 13-24 voters using the RCV system.
During the October 5 joint meeting, Board Members and Planning Commissioners also expressed interest in hearing each others’ perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of each of the 3 consulting firms. If the Board wants that discussion, it will also be necessary to schedule another joint meeting for that purpose.
If the Board wants to schedule follow-up action on this matter quickly, November 30 is a potential date. That is when the Board has already scheduled a Special Meeting to consider applications and select finalists to interview to fill the Board vacancy. If the Board believes that action will not take the entire evening, the Board could also request a joint meeting with the Planning Commission for that night. It is worth noting that during the October 5th joint meeting not all Board and Commission members were present, and similarly, during the Planning Commission’s subsequent meeting when the Commission passed the attached resolution, not all Commission members were present. A joint meeting with all members of both bodies present would be an opportunity for everyone to share their perspectives on the three firms and possibly build some informed consensus on the best path forward.
Fiscal Impact:
Logan Simpson’s proposed fee in the request for proposal materials submitted to the Town will require an expenditure of $378,450 over an 18 month timeline identified in their proposed scope of services for the Comprehensive Plan amendment. The Town has budgeted $350,000 and DOLA awarded a grant of $100,000 for the project.
Board Priority(s) Addressed:
ü Effective Governance
ü Fiscally Responsible
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution 21-153
2. Resolution P21-24
3. Logan Simpson Proposal
4. Houseal Lavigne Proposal
5. Design Workshop Proposal