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Council hires Engage Solutions Group for city strategic plan after discussion of scope and implementation
Summary
After reviewing two proposals, the Paris City Council approved hiring Engage Solutions Group (Shane Howard) to lead a 9–12 week strategic-planning process. Council and staff discussed proposal scope, the value of an implementation plan, and budgeting for tasks identified in the plan.
The Paris City Council on Feb. 24 approved a consulting agreement with Engage Solutions Group to prepare an updated strategic plan for the city.
City staff solicited proposals and received two responses. Staff summarized both: Ron Cox Consulting offered an intensive on-site session model (an eight‑hour planning session and optional implementation plan) with a base cost the staff recorded as $9,200 and an optional implementation addendum for $2,500 (plus expenses). Engage Solutions Group (Shane Howard) proposed a three‑phase process, including council workshops, stakeholder engagement and deliverables, estimated to take about 9–12 weeks from initiation.
Shane Howard described his approach as focusing first on the council’s shared aspirations. "What became real apparent to me... are the aspirations each of you are bringing to the table?" Howard said, emphasizing facilitation, stakeholder engagement and producing key activities with time frames so the plan becomes a reference for future budgeting and decision‑making.
Staff and council discussed the differences in scope. Deputy city staff and council members noted that an implementation plan is important to hold future councils and staff accountable. "Without an implementation plan, a strategic plan is useless," one staff member said, urging deliverables that include timelines and accountability checkpoints. Howard said his proposal included targeted action items with dates and implementation factors.
After discussion, the council voted 5–0 to select Engage Solutions Group for the strategic‑planning contract. The mayor and council asked staff to finalize the contract and begin the consultant’s scope of work. Council members indicated priorities they expect the plan to address—housing, workforce, infrastructure and interagency coordination—without setting budgetary allocations at the meeting.
Why it matters: A current strategic plan can guide city budgeting, staffing and coordination with partners such as the PEDC, the chamber and Lamar County. Council and staff said they want a document that produces accountable steps and timelines rather than a planning exercise that sits unused.
What the city said: Staff recommended a consultant that offers a comprehensive, multi‑phase engagement and deliverables that include action items and implementation timelines; the costs reported on the record included the amount for one consultant (Ron Cox) but the final negotiated cost for Engage Solutions Group was not specified in the meeting transcript.
Next steps: Staff will finalize scope and contract with Engage Solutions Group and begin the workshop and stakeholder engagement schedule; the council asked that the final plan include an implementation component with measurable timelines for quarterly review.
