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Carpinteria Council renews 2 Trumpets communications contract through 2029, increases not-to-exceed to $427,500
Summary
The Carpinteria City Council unanimously approved a first amendment to its communications contract with 2 Trumpets Communications LLC, extending the term to June 30, 2029, and raising the not-to-exceed total to $427,500 to preserve continuity of bilingual outreach, social media, website and newsletter support.
The Carpinteria City Council on May 27 authorized the city manager to execute a first amendment to the city’s communications services agreement with 2 Trumpets Communications LLC, extending the contract through June 30, 2029, and increasing the total not-to-exceed compensation to $427,500.
City staff said the amendment preserves the current scope of work — an 80-hour monthly retainer for social media management, bilingual newsletter production, website support, content creation and graphic design — with an option for 15 additional hours per month for urgent priorities. Assistant City Manager Ryan Kintz told the council the increase covers the existing annual rate rolled forward through 2029: “That looks like a big number, but it's really just a yearly amount of $85,500,” Kintz said, adding the total reflects the multi-year extension rather than an annual price jump.
The council and staff framed the change as continuity-focused: 2 Trumpets has supported Carpinteria since 2018, helped with the city’s adopted strategic plan, and provides bilingual drafts that are translated by the city’s program manager. Staff highlighted metrics used to evaluate performance, including social media reach, newsletter open rates and event attendance, and said the contractor assists with photography, media monitoring and lightweight website updates.
Council members asked for more detail about how the 80 base hours are allocated and how the city measures community engagement. Staff said the hours cover social media, newsletter creation, website edits, graphic design, photography and media monitoring; the extra 15 monthly hours are reserved for high-priority or emergency projects and have been used sparingly (for example, during strategic-plan work). Staff also said they will continue to review metrics and refine outreach tactics to reach underrepresented groups, particularly Spanish-speaking residents.
The council voted unanimously to approve the amendment. The consent of the council also updated the city’s contact for the agreement to Juliza (Julissa) Briones, the city’s program manager, and retained the existing hourly rate for additional hours ($75 per hour) and the base monthly service level.
What’s next: staff said the proposed FY 2025–26 budget includes additional funding for video production to expand outreach; staff will also follow up about making kiosk and outreach materials available digitally beyond the physical visitor kiosk.
