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Council approves master services agreement with Clearwater Financial, including $12,000 annual retainer
Summary
Lewiston approved a Master Services Agreement with Clearwater Financial that includes an annual $12,000 retainer for limited consulting services; councilors asked about scope limits and additional costs for larger projects.
The Lewiston City Council on March 10 approved a Master Services Agreement with Clearwater Financial LLC and authorized the mayor to sign the agreement, including an annual retainage fee of $12,000.
The agreement covers municipal advisory and financial services and runs through Sept. 30 of the current year, with automatic renewals for up to five additional one-year terms contingent on annual appropriation. The mayor explained that the $12,000 retainer covers Clearwater Financial’s work on projects that require up to 45 consultant hours; tasks requiring more time would need separate agreements and funding.
"It's an annual fee of $12,000 and what that provides for us is additional services really. We're able to use them on any project that takes less than 45 hours of the consultants time," the mayor said during the presentation. He said the arrangement can provide preferred financing rates for bond work and is intended to be cost-effective for routine requests.
Councilors questioned the scope and fiscal limits. Councilor Stegenmeyer asked whether the city would need to return to council for additional funding if a project exceeded the 45-hour threshold. The mayor confirmed that larger projects would require separate negotiated agreements and council approval for additional funds.
The motion to approve the master services agreement was moved by Councilor Schroeder and seconded by Council President Klieberg. A roll-call vote recorded ayes from Council President Klieberg, Councilor Wright, Councilor Forsman, Councilor Schroeder, Councilor Klein and Councilor Spickelmeyer; the motion passed.
The agreement also contains a termination provision allowing either party to end the contract with 30 days' written notice and states that automatic renewal depends on annual appropriation of funds. The mayor and council framed the agreement as a tool to provide on-call advisory support—especially around financing and feasibility—while keeping major, time-intensive work subject to separate contracting and council oversight.
Councilors and staff said Clearwater has worked with the city previously on the community park, building feasibility studies and labor negotiations, and the master agreement is intended to streamline access to those advisory services for smaller tasks without repeatedly negotiating separate contracts.
