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Council endorses placing brand-identity vendor selection on agenda; consultant work to be partially grant-funded
Summary
Council unanimously agreed to put a brand-identity vendor contract on the council meeting agenda after staff recommended Destination by Design for a $33,000 branding project, largely offset by a $25,000 Municipal Association grant and a required local match.
The Lexington Town Council voted Jan. 28 to place on the next council agenda a vendor selection for a community brand-identity project. Jack Stewart, the town's economic developer, said a selection committee evaluated 24 proposals and recommended Destination by Design of Boone, North Carolina.
Stewart told council the total project cost is $33,000; a $25,000 Hometown Economic Grant from the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) will offset most of the cost and the town must provide a 15% match. "The baseline price to start the process and start to finish, we can do it in 33,000," Stewart said.
The vendor's scope emphasizes research and public engagement rather than simply updating visual assets. Stewart described a multi-step process: discovery and analysis that includes field visits and stakeholder meetings, an online survey, independent market analysis, brand strategy and positioning, and a limited set of deliverables if rebranding is recommended. The selected vendor will also coordinate community engagement and may recommend changes to wayfinding and other brand assets based on findings.
Council members asked for clarity about deliverables and potential overlap with the town's planned wayfinding project; staff confirmed the town had not yet contracted a wayfinding vendor and will coordinate to avoid duplicative work. Council Member Gavin Smith asked whether local firms had been considered; Stewart said the review included some local bidders but the selection prioritized fit and budget.
Council asked staff to ensure contract deliverables and timelines are explicit in the agreement and to limit total authorized spending to the $33,000 baseline unless council approves additional work. The motion to place the vendor selection on an upcoming meeting agenda carried unanimously.
What happens next: staff will prepare a contract for council action that documents the $33,000 maximum baseline, the MASC grant offset, the 15% local match, and the planned community engagement schedule.
