The Lansing Charter Commission voted to hire Truscott Rossman as its public outreach firm for the upcoming charter education campaign, with the motion passing 7–1 and one commissioner absent. The commission discussed incomplete RFP scoring, outreach methods, and cost before approving the contractor and directing staff to proceed to procurement.

Commissioners debated how to evaluate proposals after several members did not submit scores or used different rubrics. Commissioner Washington said she “did not score any of them” and would abstain from votes on the RFP, adding, “I don't have dementia and I don't remember voting to do an RFP.” Commissioner Boyd moved to hire Truscott Rossman, saying he had reviewed the proposals and “I move that we hire Truscott Rossman” and praising the firm’s approach as concise and voter-focused.

Nut graf: The selection resolves an immediate scheduling need: commissioners said they must begin outreach quickly because absentee/AV ballots will be mailed in under two months. The commission approved Truscott Rossman despite disagreements about evaluation completeness and outreach strategy; procurement staff will now negotiate contract details.

Most important facts: The roll call on the hire recorded seven yes votes (Commissioner Cui; Commissioner Adam Simon; Commissioner Anderson; Commissioner Bauer; Commissioner Boyd; Commissioner Dowd; Commissioner Jeffries), one no vote (Commissioner Washington) and one absence (Commissioner Lopez). Commissioners expressed differing priorities in outreach: some stressed plain-language materials targeted to Lansing voters, while others pressed for multi-channel tactics to reach diverse audiences.

Discussion and concerns: Several commissioners said not all reviewers returned rubric scores, complicating attempts to compute a weighted total. One commissioner argued missing scores should be treated as zero; another said incomplete scoring required a conversation rather than a mechanical tally. Commissioner Boyd said he did not score out-of-town firms and recommended prioritizing local firms because of the short timeline, and he recommended Truscott Rossman in part because he saw their approach as focused on “what’s changing and why.”

Commissioner Anderson voiced concern about how the firm would reach people beyond traditional mailers and press releases, urging a follow-up conversation with the vendor about multi-channel outreach and bilingual materials. Another commissioner noted a cost comparison discussed during the meeting: the commission heard an estimate that Truscott Rossman would cost about $15,000 for a three-month campaign while a local firm called Edge quoted about $20,000 for the entire campaign; commissioners cautioned that price figures and campaign lengths should be clarified in contract talks.

Formal action: The motion to hire Truscott Rossman passed and, according to the chair, will be sent to purchasing/procurement for contract discussions. The commission did not specify a formal second in the public roll call; the clerk recorded the roll and the yes/no votes during the meeting.

Next steps and limits: The commission directed staff to share vendor materials with commissioners and to coordinate follow-up meetings between commissioners and the selected vendor. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized that any outreach must be strictly informational; Commissioner Washington said the content must be “absolutely informational only and not weighing one way or the other.” The chair noted procurement will handle contract terms and pricing.

Ending: The item concluded with staff committing to circulate vendor responses and meeting notes. The commission did not set a new meeting date on the record for continuing vendor negotiations; follow-up will proceed through procurement and targeted meetings with commissioners.