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De Soto council amends, approves communications consultant contract with $40,000 cap
Summary
The De Soto City Council approved an amended consulting agreement with Mace Communications that keeps a 25-hours-per-month baseline and sets an annual cap at $40,000 after discussion about overlap with new in-house staffing and the need for crisis communications expertise.
The De Soto City Council on Feb. 5 approved an amended agreement with Mace Communications for public relations and outreach consulting, setting a 25-hours-per-month baseline and a $40,000 annual cap.
Council and staff debated whether the outside contract would duplicate duties of a newly funded in-house events coordinator and communications hire. Mike Brungard, the city administrator, told the council the budget was rebalanced so funding for the new hire offsets the prior consultant budget and that the contract is intended to provide specialized expertise "specifically in the areas of crisis management, and press relations." Brungard said unused monthly retainer hours can roll over.
Nancy Mace, the consultant under the contract, told the council she bills only the hours she uses and that her work often involves national or international media and coordination among multiple private and public partners. "I have never overbilled and in fact, routinely since I've been on contract, I only bill the hours that are needed," Mace said.
Whitney (communications and community outreach) said the city has started to split communications and events work between staff roles but that specialized, high-experience media-relations support remains useful during major incidents. She described a past incident in which contracted support helped handle heavy media attention quickly.
Councilmember Zach moved the amendment to reduce the contracted annual hours to a proportion of the previous level and to cap the contract at $40,000; the amendment was adopted and the motion carried on roll call.
The council did not specify individual contractor-hour breakdowns in tonight's discussion; staff said past invoices list every assignment and deliverable. The contract as amended will remain a monthly retainer, with unused hours handled per the agreement.
The council will proceed with the contract as amended; no additional public hearings on the matter were announced at the meeting.
