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Morrisville staff to advance paid sponsorship outreach after council raises policy concerns
Summary
Council members agreed to let staff notify the Superlative Group to begin sales outreach and contract work for sponsorships, while directing staff to return with a revised sponsorship policy and guardrails on signage and event scope before final deals are finalized.
John, a town staff member, opened the discussion Tuesday by reminding the council that the Superlative Group completed a phase-one valuation of Morrisville’s parks, greenways and amenities and that phases two and three would move the work into market outreach and contract negotiations. Erin Hudson, the town’s director of communications and outreach, said the consultant’s methodology combined quantitative and qualitative measures.
"The cost going forward would be a retainer of $5,000 per month plus a 15% commission of any sponsorship income," Hudson said, noting a single sponsorship of about $35,000 could cover the initial retainer. She said the consultant would focus on higher-value opportunities and that staff would create an internal fund to track receipts and expenditures.
Council members probed contract details and the scope of the consultant’s work. Staff said the proposed engagement for phases two and three would be 12 months with the option to extend; the consultant would earn 15% on contracts it negotiated (reduced to 7.5% if the town brought the sponsor to the consultant). The town confirmed that small, local vendor participation at routine events would remain handled by staff and not be ceded to the consultant.
Several council members pressed the need for explicit policy guardrails before sponsorship agreements are finalized. "I don't want our town entities to be looked like NASCAR jerseys," one council member said, arguing the town must avoid excessive branding on municipal assets. Others asked that the council review signage tactics, exclusivity limits and reputational risk in a dedicated policy discussion or retreat.
Staff said nothing would be finalized without council oversight and recommended returning with amendments to the town’s existing sponsorship and naming-rights policy. The council indicated consensus to authorize the town manager to notify the Superlative Group to proceed with phases two and three, provided staff return with a revised policy, specific recommendations and, where necessary, closed-session briefings on sensitive negotiations.
Next steps: staff will draft policy revisions, identify thresholds and tactics for acceptable sponsorships, and report back to the council before executing any sponsorship contracts.
