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Council approves $196,000 parks master plan contract after debate over using AI in planning
Summary
The Rialto City Council voted 3–2 to award Michael Baker International up to $196,000 to develop a parks master plan intended to guide park investments, improve grant competitiveness and map capital improvements. Council members asked staff to explore integrating AI tools alongside in-person outreach.
Rialto City Council approved a service agreement not to exceed $196,000 with Michael Baker International to prepare a comprehensive parks master plan, after several council members urged the city to consider greater use of artificial intelligence in planning work.
The contract, recommended by parks staff, will fund an inventory and assessment of park assets and facilities, a multilingual community engagement program, a phased capital-improvement plan with cost estimates, and grant-readiness materials intended to position Rialto for state and federal grants. Parks staff said the plan is expected to take 12–18 months and would be brought back to commissions and council for adoption.
“Establishing a parks master plan is the next step in creating that roadmap,” a parks staff presenter said. Valerie Clark of Michael Baker, present for council questions, said the firm uses AI to generate initial ideas and do desktop analyses but emphasized that in-person fieldwork and community engagement remain central: “You don’t get with AI the in-person community engagement. We visit all of these parks to understand the current condition.”
Several council members supported the award while urging staff to explore hybrid approaches that combine consultant work with AI tools and internal capacity. Councilmember Andy Caraseris moved approval; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote (Councilmember Carla Perez and Mayor Baka voted yes; Councilmember Cariselis and Mayor Prom Scott voted no; Councilmember Montoy voted yes). Commenters and members noted the plan could improve Rialto’s competitiveness for grants and help target roughly $5 million–$15 million in potential external funding once the plan is adopted.
Council members who opposed or questioned the item said they wanted additional discussion of whether the city could incorporate AI and in-house resources to reduce consultant costs and ensure a “living” document approach. Supporters said the city has not had a current parks master plan for more than a decade and that a consultant-produced plan would provide the professional capacity and grant-ready documentation the city needs.
The council directed staff and interested council members to meet with Michael Baker and staff to discuss AI integration and other refinements while moving forward with the contract. The item will be returned with implementation milestones and the draft plan schedule for future review.
The council approved the contract and authorized the city manager to execute related documents. The plan timeline anticipates returning a completed draft to council for adoption in late 2027.
