Columbia Falls council approves $100,000 contract with Cushing Terrell for land‑use planning
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Summary
The Columbia Falls City Council approved a $100,000 contract with Cushing Terrell to serve as the city’s land‑use planning consultant, after staff described budget cuts that removed some outreach and mapping tasks and residents voiced concern about reduced in‑person engagement.
The Columbia Falls City Council voted unanimously to enter a $100,000 contract with Cushing Terrell for land‑use planning services, approving the motion during the council meeting.
City Manager said the contract follows a competitive selection process in which a committee reviewed six proposals and unanimously ranked Cushing Terrell first. The manager told councilors that the consultant’s original proposal would have cost about $184,000, but staff negotiated a reduced scope to fit available funding.
The reductions, the manager said, were driven by the limits of a pro‑housing grant that provides about $392,000 to the city, of which $100,000 was proposed for the land‑use planning consultant. To contain costs, staff removed several line items from the consultant’s initial proposal, including an in‑person open house and a contractor‑led GIS mapping task. The manager said the city will rely on existing professional studies (the housing study and recent engineering reports) rather than asking the consultant to re‑create that baseline work.
Resident Shirley objected to cutting in‑person events and the GIS mapping. “I’m really concerned that the Columbia Falls public doesn’t have that experience,” Shirley said, arguing that fewer in‑person meetings and the removal of interactive mapping could reduce public participation. The manager responded that there will still be in‑person opportunities: engineers and public‑works staff will hold an in‑person utility infrastructure open house in November and additional in‑person forums in February, the manager said, and council chambers will be open whenever the consultant hosts virtual sessions.
Staff proposed a joint kickoff session with the planning commission on Thursday, Nov. 13, to begin the four‑to‑five‑month engagement period. The manager said the consultant has experience with virtual engagement and will run virtual open houses and workshops; staff will provide in‑chambers access and post interactive zoning and utility maps on the city website so residents can view large maps and overlays.
Councilors voted to approve the contract. Voting recorded as “aye” were: Councilor Robinson, Councilor Shepherd, Councilor King, Councilor Levering, Councilor Piper, Councilor Price and Mayor Barnhart. The motion to enter a $100,000 contract with Cushing Terrell was announced approved by the mayor.
Next steps include the Nov. 13 joint session with the planning commission and other scheduled engagement on utilities and zoning; staff said details and interactive maps will be posted online and on the city’s public calendar.
Notes: the council discussion emphasized budget limits and avoiding duplication of recently completed professional studies; the Montana Land Use Planning Act was cited as the statutory framework for the planning work.
