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Council asks consultant to sharpen price for comprehensive-plan EAR update
Summary
Facing questions about a $211,000 fee for a required comprehensive plan EAR update, the council directed staff and Inspire to refine the proposal and return with a clearer breakdown at the next meeting.
City planning staff and the consultant Inspire Placemaking Collective presented the city’s required evaluation and appraisal report (EAR) update process on May 4 and recommended hiring Inspire under the city’s continuing-services contract to perform a complete rewrite of the comprehensive plan.
Pat Tayi of Inspire described statutory changes to the EAR process that require 10‑ and 20‑year population projections, element‑by‑element justification, and supporting technical work such as water‑supply capacity and public‑facility plans. The consultant also explained optional items — branding, a project website and public‑workshop outreach — that can be scaled to reduce cost.
Several council members questioned the total fee in the contract packet — about $211,000 — saying the city has already invested staff time and previous consulting work and asked Inspire to meet staff first to identify only the tasks that remain.
“I want a breakout of the $211,000,” Councilman Bagby said, calling items such as branding and extra workshops “filler” if staff can reuse existing analyses. Pat Tayi and Gabriella Castro said the kickoff and data‑analysis phases are needed to confirm what material already exists and where gaps remain, and said the firm could remove optional branding and reduce the budget by approximately $15,000.
Bagby moved and the council approved a directive that staff coordinate with Inspire, identify the specific tasks needed, and return to the council at the next meeting with a refined cost estimate. The motion passed without recorded opposition.
The EAR is statutorily required every seven years; staff said the city’s plan has not had a full rewrite since about 2005 and statutory changes in 2023 broaden requirements. Council asked staff to confirm which studies can be completed internally and which will require consultant scope and to return with a narrower, itemized price.
