Public commenter questions $600,000 OM Advisors master plan contract

At the Dec. 8 Upper Arlington City Council meeting, resident Todd Jankres spoke during public comment to oppose aspects of the proposed contract with OM Advisors for a master plan update. Jankres told council that the contract amount listed in the materials is $600,000 and that it equates to roughly 3,000 hours or about $200 per hour. He urged the council to review what the city has implemented from prior consultant work and questioned whether the city needed another high-cost consultant given in-house expertise among staff and local professionals.

The council then called a vote on the ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute the contract. The transcript records a voice vote and that the motion carried; immediately after the recorded vote the transcript contains an inconsistent ordinance number (the item had been introduced as Ordinance No. 45-2025 but the vote language in the transcript references 44-2025). The report above uses the agenda identifier as introduced and notes the transcript numbering inconsistency.

The public comment raised two concrete points: the contract dollar amount ($600,000) and the commenter’s contention that prior consultant work has not always produced value sufficient to justify the expense. The transcript does not record a substantive response from council or staff during that public comment block beyond the regular vote call and the motion carrying. The council’s approval (voice vote) indicates the item proceeded; the contract administration and any implementation details will be handled by the city manager and planning staff per the ordinance, and any follow-up on consultant outcomes would depend on future requests or staff reports.

The meeting record does not include a detailed breakdown of the OM Advisors contract scope or deliverables; the commenter’s hourly and hours estimates were presented as his calculation during public comment.