Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council member urges city not to renew Insight contract, requests detail on economic-development results
Summary
Council Member Gerhardt asked the mayor and staff to provide detailed deliverables from the city's contract with Insight (economic development consultant) and proposed not renewing the contract; the mayor asked for the questions to be submitted in writing so staff can respond.
Council Member Gerhardt told colleagues during the Rosemarking Development committee meeting on March 10 that she recommends the city not renew its contract with Insight, the city's economic development consultant, when the contract comes up in May.
Gerhardt said the city has contracted with Insight since January 2016 and has paid the firm more than $385,000 as of November. She raised multiple concerns about Insight's performance at a recent presentation: Gerhardt said Insight failed to provide examples of businesses it helped expand, could not produce a reliable count of available vacant buildings or sites, misstated local employment figures during the presentation and failed to secure or pursue grants tied to the Worcester Road West construction. She asked staff for a written accounting of Insight's work, including lists of site visits, leads tied to the Rite Aid building, minutes and attendee lists for economic-development meetings, and the contractor agreement between the city and Insight.
The mayor responded that staff will provide the requested information and will check with businesses about whether council members can attend business retention and expansion (BRE) visits. The mayor added that the city can anonymize business names in responses if confidentiality is a concern and invited Gerhardt to forward a list of specific questions by email.
Committee members also discussed the possibility of creating an in-house economic development staff position in the planning department instead of renewing the contractor. Gerhardt said she would support hiring a city employee devoted to economic development, noting that the charter requires council to appropriate funds to carry out planning and zoning provisions.
Ending: The mayor said staff will gather and provide the requested documentation and examples. No formal vote to cancel or renew Insight's contract was recorded at this meeting; Gerhardt said she will present more information and council may discuss the contract at the May renewal date.
