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Venus council approves SGR to lead citywide strategic planning process, up to $35,000
Summary
The Venus City Council unanimously approved hiring Strategic Government Solutions (SGR) to develop a multi-year strategic plan. Staff said the six- to eight-month process will guide budgeting, development priorities and staffing decisions; the contract cost is estimated at $30,000–$35,000 and will be split across two fiscal years.
The Venus City Council on April 14 voted 5-0 to hire Strategic Government Solutions (SGR) as the consultant to lead the city’s strategic planning process.
City Administrator Josh Jones, who presented the staff recommendation, said the scoring committee — which included the mayor and the city planner — reviewed eight proposals and gave SGR an average score of 86.7. "This is going to be about a six to eight month process," Jones said, adding the contract cost would be "between $30,000 and $35,000 over the course" of two fiscal years.
Jones told the council the strategic plan will be used to inform annual budgeting, development priorities and personnel decisions. "Part of what the strategic plan will do…is to inform staff about how we go about budgeting," he said. He also said the plan could inform future updates to the comprehensive plan and zoning but is not itself a comprehensive plan.
Council members asked about the procurement process and whether professional planning services were exempt from some competitive bidding rules; Jones said staff issued an RFP to provide transparency despite exemptions for professional services. The council discussed the advantages of a local or regional vendor who can meet in person and understand area conditions.
The motion to approve the staff recommendation and contract award for SGR carried 5-0.
The city plans to proceed with a sequence of meetings involving council, staff and local boards; Jones said the finished plan will be revisited annually during the city’s budgeting process and updated as needed.
