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Council approves economic development contract after residents ask for delay
Summary
Council approved a professional services agreement with Ayers Associates for an economic development strategic plan after some residents objected to the item being placed on the consent agenda and raised transparency concerns about the RFP process; staff described a standard competitive selection and pledged broad outreach during the contract; vote passed.
Residents asked the City Council on Oct. 14 to postpone or drop a professional services agreement with Ayers Associates (Resolution 25‑44) and to move the item off the consent agenda after concerns about timing and transparency.
Lori Ball opened public comment asking that item 7a be moved to general business and postponed until the newly seated council in January 2026 could participate; she argued citizens had limited time to see materials and that several seats were up for election. Doug Gilbert, a resident with economic‑development experience, told the council he believed the proposal was a retail market study rather than a full economic‑development plan and said the RFP lacked methodology and staff qualifications.
Staff described the procurement: the RFP drew 17 responses, staff narrowed the list to five interviewees, interviewed finalists with a panel that included staff and two council members, and recommended Ayers Associates based on evaluation criteria. City Manager Michael Penney and other staff said the contract includes a public‑outreach plan and that all councilmembers would be engaged in scope development. "Ayers was one of the few companies on the interviews that actually did any research about Castle Pines," staff said.
Council debated whether to delay the vendor selection until after the election, with some members urging urgency to begin the planning effort and others expressing concern that new councilmembers were not yet seated. After discussion the council voted to approve Resolution 25‑44 authorizing the contract with Ayers Associates.
Next steps: staff said the consultant will refine the scope, follow a stakeholder outreach plan including resident and council engagement, and return deliverables on a revised schedule that likely slips into March 2026.
