Britney Lopez of the county manager's office told the County Council on Sept. 2 that after internal review the county would contract for project-management services rather than hire a full-time employee. The council approved the contract with Mocha Systems by unanimous voice vote.

Lopez said county departments concluded there were not enough large, ongoing projects to justify hiring and later laying off an in-house project manager. She said the county conducted a request-for-qualifications process and selected Mocha Systems because the firm offers architects, construction managers and engineers and can provide an on-site manager plus access to additional specialists as needed. Exhibit A of the contract outlines a plan to complete the peak master plan; Exhibit B allows the county to use the firm for future projects.

Nut graf: The contract is intended to bring specialized, on-demand capabilities—architecture, engineering, construction management—to county projects and to reduce the risk of overstaffing if project volumes fall.

Action: The council took a motion to approve the contract; Councilman Strumberg moved and Councilman Wardle seconded. The vote was recorded as unanimous.

Ending: Lopez said the arrangement gives the county “different people that can help us in a way that we probably could not have done individually” if it had hired a single in-house manager.