City Council wants an extra $80,000 to pay for a better consultant to look at council makeup and ward boundaries.
Council previously agreed to budget $150,000 for a third-party consultant to conduct the Council Composition and Employment Status Review it approved earlier this year.
The hope is to have the review completed and any changes put in place in time for the new term of office in 2022.
The money will come from the city’s tax rate operating contingency reserve.
The city issued a request for proposal with three vendors responding.
“The highest ranked proposal includes an estimated cost of $230,000. Despite coming in over budget, the highest ranked proposal received substantially higher scores overall and specifically in regards to the qualifications and experience of their project manager and project team, their experience and performance on similar projects in other jurisdictions and their proposed work plan to accomplish the goals of the CCESR project,” a staff report says.
“Given the size, scope and importance of this project, as well as the far reaching impact that changes to Council composition and ward boundaries may have, staff recommend moving forward with the winning bidder given the strength of their project team, their experience with similar projects in other jurisdictions and their proposed approach and work plan.”
If council doesn’t approve the additional cost, the staff report says that the review will not move forward and any changes will not be implemented in time for the 2022 municipal election.
