Cook City Council approves one‑year contract with Community and Economic Development Associates

At its Dec. 31, 2025 special meeting, the Cook City Council voted to hire Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA) under a one‑year contract worth $74,572 to provide a part‑time consultant to assist City Hall workload and streamline processes.

Mayor Daniel Manick introduced Jessica Pellinen, regional manager for CEDA, who described the organization as a nonprofit founded in 1986 that specializes in grant writing, rural innovation, planning and community development. Pellinen said the consultant assigned to Cook would work roughly 24 hours per week, that most CEDA contracts include a 30‑day termination clause, and that the consultant would not perform statutory city clerk duties. Pellinen named Shaun Hainey as the consultant who is scheduled to begin Jan. 5, 2026.

Why it matters: Councilors said the extra capacity is intended to help with workload and process improvements in City Hall without replacing statutorily required clerk functions. Councilor Jess Scofield requested revisions to the contract to clearly list services CEDA will not perform. Mayor Manick said the contract cost could be covered from the Administration salary budget.

The council voted to accept the hiring of CEDA for one year at $74,572 with an edited contract to include stated exclusions; the motion, made by Councilor Ron Bushbaum and seconded by Councilor Liza Root, carried. Pellinen confirmed that Shaun Hainey will start Jan. 5, 2026.

Next steps: Staff should finalize the edited contract to include agreed exclusions and confirm start‑date onboarding steps for the consultant.