Council declines consultant contract for priority-based budgeting after split vote

The Superior Common Council debated whether to contract with ResourceX for priority-based budgeting and ultimately did not approve the proposed agreement after a contentious discussion and two roll-call votes.

Finance staff introduced a proposed professional services agreement with ResourceX citing a quoted $20,000 initial engagement and an optional $15,000 annual continuation. Several councilors said they wanted more information, pointed to neighboring jurisdictions that have implemented priority-based budgeting without consultants, and raised questions about included hours and potential cost overruns. Councilor Kern asked whether other counties reported overages; staff said they were not aware of additional charges in those conversations. Councilor Sweeney and others urged prompt start, arguing the work will be substantial and requires contractor expertise. Councilor Garfield and others proposed referral to the finance committee for fuller review; that referral failed for lack of a six-vote threshold. A roll-call on final approval resulted in a 5–4 vote against the contract; the motion therefore failed and the city did not enter the ResourceX agreement.

Councilors who questioned immediate approval cited the possibility of conducting some work in‑house and asked staff to gather more comparative information before committing city funds. The meeting record shows the item will remain subject to further review and could be returned to the council later with additional detail.