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Council approves tri-city regional advocacy agreement with Townsend Public Affairs
Summary
Lafayette joined Orinda and Moraga in approving a regional advocacy agreement with Townsend Public Affairs to coordinate state and federal legislative advocacy and grant pursuit; the council approved an initial cost-share arrangement and directed staff to negotiate standard insurance/indemnity language.
The Lafayette City Council authorized the city manager to finalize and execute a regional advocacy agreement with Townsend Public Affairs alongside the cities of Orinda and Moraga. The three jurisdictions aim to form a La Mirinda legislative coalition to coordinate state and federal advocacy and to pursue grants jointly.
Key terms and cost: The proposed regional services would cost approximately $18,000 annually (about $1,500 per month) under the draft agreement; the city manager noted Lafayette's existing local contract with Townsend is about $4,500 per month and that staff will seek to avoid duplicate billing for overlapping services once the regional platform is established.
Council discussion: Councilmembers said a unified voice in Sacramento and Washington increases leverage for regional projects; the city attorney will add standard insurance and indemnification clauses to the agreement before execution.
Vote: The motion to authorize the city manager to finalize and execute the agreement passed unanimously.
Next steps: Orinda had already approved the agreement; Moraga planned to consider it later in the month. Staff will return contract documents with city-attorney revisions and implement the regional platform once all partners approve.
Ending: Councilmembers said they look forward to a coordinated approach with regional partners to pursue grants and state and federal policy priorities.
