Council OKs $60,000 lobby contract; consultant says legislature work included vacation-rental and tax fixes

The Lake Havasu City Council on May 28 approved a professional services contract with Willetta Partners for Arizona government relations and lobbying services in an amount not to exceed $60,000 annually and authorized staff to exercise up to four additional 12‑month renewal periods.

City Manager Jessica Knutson introduced the item and thanked the consultant for keeping the annual cost the same as prior years. The consultant in attendance, Brian Tessineri, described the scope of work he provides the city: monitoring bills, advising council and staff, and facilitating meetings with state officials and institutions. Tessineri told the council he and his team were engaged closely on the recent state vacation‑rental bill and that they worked to remove proposed provisions that would have required intrusive monitoring of guests. He said the final legislation provides cities with administrative tools to enforce zoning and tax collection rules without the previously proposed monitoring measures.

Tessineri also described a Wayfair‑related issue affecting taxation of vehicles sold to out‑of‑state buyers who drive the vehicle off the lot and said his office helped secure a correction to preserve the city's taxing authority on those sales. He said Willetta Partners helped arrange a recent meeting with Arizona State University to build ties between ASU and Lake Havasu City.

Vice Mayor Dave Lane, who moved the motion, and Councilmember Michelle Lynn, who seconded, both complimented the consultant for concise, timely communications to the council. The motion carried 6–0.

The contract is for one year at $60,000 with options to renew for up to four additional 12‑month periods; staff noted the contractor has worked with the city for roughly 17 years.

The council opened and closed a public hearing on the item; no members of the public spoke.