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County plans consultant contract to lead five‑year homeless housing plan; advisory board set aside $125,000
Summary
Mason County staff briefed the commission on contracting consultants to facilitate and draft the county’s required five‑year homeless housing plan; the Housing & Behavioral Health Advisory Board earmarked $125,000 for consultant work, and staff asked the commission to place the contract on the May 27 agenda for approval.
Mason County staff told commissioners on Tuesday that they are ready to contract with consultants to develop the county’s five‑year homeless housing plan, a state requirement that will include public engagement and alignment with Washington State Commerce guidance.
Staff said the county’s Housing & Behavioral Health Advisory Board has allocated $125,000 from the current year’s budget to support consultant work. The consultant the county intends to hire is a small firm that had assisted other jurisdictions and that registered locally to bid; staff explained that the firm applied a Washington state UBI number in April and that the county’s procurement received a single responsive proposal.
Commissioners raised questions about the vendor being based out of Georgia and the reliance on virtual meetings for much of the engagement; staff said the contract includes travel funds for at least one, possibly two, in‑person stakeholder meetings. The plan must be completed by year‑end, and staff told commissioners they will use existing local data where possible to avoid duplicative analyses.
Staff requested authority to place the consultant contract on the board’s May 27 action agenda. Commissioners asked clarifying questions, expressed a desire for robust in‑person engagement where feasible, and gave staff direction to place the item on the May 27 agenda for approval.
