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Commission weighs hiring a grant writer versus outsourcing; agrees to solicit lobbying services
Summary
Commissioners debated whether to hire an in-house grant writer or continue outsourcing grant writing; several favored seeking proposals and possibly reallocating existing lobbying funds. The board directed the manager to solicit state lobbying services and to return options for the grant-writing function.
Commissioners discussed whether the city should convert the existing outsourced grant-writing contract into an in-house, revenue-generating staff position or keep the work outsourced. Some commissioners argued an in-house grant writer could quickly pay for itself, while others raised concerns about recurring personnel costs, pensionability, and the need to ensure consistent grant management and post-award reporting.
The manager and CFO said the city currently outsources some work and hosts two employee town halls about the Evergreen pay study; staff flagged that successful grant awards require both writing and significant post-award grant management. Commissioners generally agreed to issue a solicitation for lobbying services to ensure the state lobbying contract is competitively procured; they asked the manager to return a set of options and a recommendation on whether to transition to an in-house grant writer or keep a consultant model.
