Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Strategic Planning Consultant Selection topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rowlett council narrowly selects strategic‑planning consultant after tie and revote
Summary
After presentations from three finalists and a council scoring tie, Rowlett council held a revote and selected the firm referenced in the meeting as 'Maranandro' by a 4–3 margin; council emphasized the need for a plan that is implemented, updated regularly and tied to measurable actions.
Rowlett City Council voted narrowly to select the firm referenced during the work session as "Maranandro" to lead an update of the city's strategic plan after a tie with SGR required a revote.
Consultants from three finalist firms presented to council on Jan. 5, 2026. Patrick Ybarra of the Vagorondo Group framed strategic planning as "a process, not an event," stressing engagement, a steering committee and a focus on implementation and regular reporting. Mike Mallory of SGR emphasized the difference between strategic visioning and strategic planning, and Baker Tilly's Woody Battle highlighted data tools and an implementation phase using dashboards such as Enviso.
Council members completed score sheets after presentations and staff tallied results. The initial tally produced a tie between SGR and the firm that appears in the record as "Maranandro" (12 points each). Council debated resolving the tie — whether to use top rankings, revote, or reopen discussion — and held a revote that resulted in a 4–3 majority for the non‑SGR firm. The meeting record contains several phonetic renderings of the firm's name; council asked staff to confirm the official vendor name and next steps as procurement moves toward contract negotiation.
Members said their choices balanced price, local presence and the desire for ongoing engagement rather than a single, one‑off product. One council member favoring recurring workshops and steady facilitation described that approach as a reason to prefer SGR; others cited in‑person presence and cost as deciding factors in their votes.
Council emphasized that adopting a strategic plan is meaningful only if the city follows through. As Patrick Ybarra put it in his presentation: "We see this as a process, not an event," and multiple members said the city needs a living document with regular updates, performance measures and staff ownership of implementation.
Staff will circulate the formal scoring results and the winning firm's final proposal for procurement review. The council did not take a final contract vote at the work session; procurement and contract terms remain pending public records and a future council agenda.
Ending: Staff will confirm the selected firm's official name and bring the contract/engagement terms back to the council as required by the city's procurement rules.
