Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Warr Acres council votes to terminate grant-writer contract after councilors cite poor communication and missed deliverables
Summary
After multiple council members and staff described limited communication and unclear deliverables from the city’s external grant writer, the council voted to issue 30 days’ notice terminating the contract; staff will send formal notice and the consultant will be paid for the final month of services.
The Warr Acres City Council voted March 18 to terminate the city’s contract with an outside grant writer, citing missed meetings, inconsistent reports, and concerns that the consultant had not produced sufficient deliverables for the retainer paid.
Council members and city staff said they had repeatedly asked the consultant for a regular status report and lists of applications submitted and goals achieved. Captain Jason (police captain) and others said they had seen examples of grants identified by the consultant but little follow-through on preparing applications or supporting the city through submission and paperwork. Several council members said the consultant had promised weekly meetings and had not delivered.
One council member moved to terminate the contract “without cause” and instruct staff to provide the consultant the 30 days’ notice required by the contract. The motion passed on a roll-call vote. Council directed staff to send notice the next day; the consultant will receive one more monthly payment as required by the contract’s termination-for-convenience clause but will no longer be engaged after the notice period.
Council members and staff discussed future options: some suggested hiring a full-time staff grant writer when budget and need justify the position, while others suggested contracting again with a firm only on a per-application or contingency basis. The council also asked staff to consider interim options to maintain active grant pursuit until a long-term approach is chosen.
