Council appoints members to City Hall RFQ committee, aims to recommend architect by early May

Council established a City Hall RFQ review committee and appointed two council representatives to join staff on the panel. Council discussion confirmed staff members who will serve on the committee—Chief Steffel, Christina Smith, Patrick Andrews and Tammy Jansma—and the council selected Kevin and Colin as the council representatives.

Bridal, a city staff member, told the council the RFQ response deadline is March 28 and that ten RFQs had been sent out. "Make a recommendation to the council as to which RFQ to accept. So hire a recommendation to hire an architectural firm to design C," Bridal explained, summarizing the committee's role.

Council discussed whether to expand the committee to include business representatives but concluded the committee of staff plus two council members was appropriate. The council set a target timeline for the committee to use April to review submissions and to recommend a firm no later than the first meeting in May, with a preferred target of the last meeting in April if feasible.

One council member recused themself from committee participation because of prior involvement with the project and asked for "fresh eyes" on the review. The mayor may also appoint a third council representative, but the council kept initial appointments at two members to avoid quorum issues on the committee.

No formal vote against appointments was recorded; staff and the appointed council members will proceed with review work and potential interviews of the top firms.