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Council tables Mallard Park management contract, seeks more details on grants and costs
Summary
Council members raised floodplain, grant-match and cost concerns about a proposed administrative contract for Mallard Park (roughly 30 acres). Several council members favored delaying action until staff provides grant timing, contract cost details (cited at about $35,000), and whether a city administrator could perform the same work.
The Blue Ridge City Council on June 3 debated whether to hire an outside firm to manage Mallard Park and ultimately voted to table the administrative-services contract pending further information. Council members and attendees questioned whether the town should hire a city administrator first instead of paying an outside manager and asked staff to provide details about grant timing and matching funds.
A public commenter urged the council to "table that completely," saying the contract was expensive and that council should wait until a city administrator is hired. The commenter cited hourly rates for contract staff of "anywhere from 125 to $275 an hour." Council members also raised concerns that portions of the park are in a floodplain and that grant funding (a county open-spaces grant mentioned in the packet) had not been received. One participant referenced a figure of about $35,000 tied to the management scope.
With the presenter not in the room, council members agreed they needed clearer information—how long the grant award remains available, exact contract cost and deliverables, and whether the city administrator could perform similar tasks in-house. Council member Keith Taylor moved to table the item; the motion carried on a voice vote. Staff will pull together requested grant documentation and contract details for a future meeting.
