Avon council approves financial consulting agreements with billing items removed

Avon Town Council on Jan. 23 approved two professional services agreements with Financial Solutions Group to provide on-call financial advisory services and prepare required bond continuing-disclosure reports, with travel, copying and mailing charges removed from the contracts.

The agreements cover general financial consulting — including budget sustainability analysis and TIF (tax increment financing) neutralization work — and continuing-disclosure services tied to the town’s bonds. Town staff introduced the contracts and recommended approval, saying Financial Solutions Group has served as the town’s financial adviser for many years.

"Greg does a wonderful job for us," a staff member said in the meeting, describing the firm’s long-standing role assisting Avon with bond sales and reporting. Council members asked that standard contract language allowing reimbursement for mileage, copying and mailing be stricken because the town does not competitively bid the work and those charges have not been billed historically. Staff agreed to remove those cost items.

A council member moved to approve the agreements as amended; another member seconded, and the council approved the motion by roll call. Recorded roll-call responses during the vote show affirmative responses from Craig Zuzin, Robert Pope, Jason Puckett, Bill Holland and Don Loudon.

The agreements were presented as professional services contracts rather than competitively bid procurements. Town staff said continuing-disclosure reporting will be completed on a quarterly basis as required by bond covenants.