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Council debates $53,727 strategic‑planning agreement; motion fails after coordination concerns
Summary
After a presentation by Adam Sasso of Consensus Solutions, the council declined to approve a $53,727 professional services agreement amid concerns the work duplicated a just‑hired comprehensive‑plan consultant and questions about timing and coordination; the motion failed with one yes and several abstentions.
The College Park council considered, and ultimately did not approve, a $53,727 professional services agreement with Consensus Solutions to develop a strategic plan and public‑engagement process.
The item was sponsored by Interim City Manager Michael Hicks and initially faced procedural glitches: a motion briefly died for lack of a second before the council reconsidered and asked the presenter to make a formal presentation.
Adam Sasso, founder of Consensus Solutions and a former College Park resident, led a detailed presentation describing a 100‑day timetable for a strategic plan, one‑city ward workshops (charrettes), individual interviews with council and staff, and a compact 20–25 page deliverable intended to guide short‑term budgeting. Sasso said the strategic plan would be linked to the comprehensive plan and pledged to coordinate closely with the comprehensive‑plan consultant.
Several councilmembers voiced concerns about timing, scope and cost. Councilmembers noted the city had just awarded a separate comprehensive‑plan contract for $145,230 and questioned whether hiring a second consultant would duplicate work and strain limited municipal resources; one councilmember calculated the two contracts would total roughly $200,000. Multiple members pressed for clearer coordination between the two efforts before approving additional consultant spending.
When the council voted, Councilmember Karn voted in favor; Councilmembers Mackenzie, Arnold and Gay abstained. The mayor declared the motion failed due to insufficient affirmative votes. The record shows the council asked staff to ensure closer coordination between future consultant engagements and the comprehensive‑plan work.
Next steps: No contract was executed. Staff and the city manager indicated the potential for further discussion and coordination; if the city seeks similar services again it would return to council with clarified scope, schedule and evidence of coordination with the comprehensive‑plan consultant.
