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Safe Community Task Force Facilitator Selection_Urban StrategiesMasterpiece on the Mississippi TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director February 10, 2010 Dubuque bitil Al- America City 2007 SUBJECT: Safe Community Task Force Recommendation to Contract with Urban Strategies, Inc. for Facilitation Services The purpose of this memorandum is to forward to the City Council a recommendation from the Safe Community Task Force that the City Council contract with Urban Strategies, Inc., for facilitation services. Background On October 29, the City released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a professional facilitator for the Safe Community Task Force. The City received proposals from the following organizations in response: 1) Crimson Leadership Institute; 2) Dynamic Facilitation, Inc.; 3) Institute of Public Affairs; and 4) KSF Associates, Inc. Staff reviewed the proposals and recommended to the Safe Community Task Force that Crimson Leadership Group and Dynamic Facilitation be interviewed. The Safe Community Task Force appointed a facilitator search subcommittee to participate in the interview and selection process. The appointed members of the Task Force included Jonathon Cheatham, Terry Mozena, and Doug Stillings. The members also asked a subcommittee member, Mary Rae Bragg, to assist. The search subcommittee interviewed consultants from Crimson Leadership Group and Dynamic Facilitation in December, and also decided to interview a consultant from KSF Associates. In addition, they asked that the City send the RFP to several additional consultants. The City did so on December 21, and received one additional proposal in response from Powers of Communication on January 4. The search subcommittee conducted interviews with consultants from KSF and Powers of Communication in January. The search subcommittee also requested that the City seek a proposal from Urban Strategies, Inc., and the City submitted the RFP to them on January 15. Urban Strategies submitted a proposal on January 22, and the subcommittee conducted an interview the following week. The search subcommittee submitted the following recommendation to the Safe Community Task Force: The facilitator search committee for the Safe Community Task Force is recommending that the Task Force seek to hire Urban Strategies, Inc., of St. Louis, Mo., for the position of task force facilitator. It is the committee's feeling that Urban Strategies, in the form of Senior Vice President Susan Glassman and Senior Consultant Carlotta Paige, is excellently suited to provide not only meeting facilitation but consulting expertise in the areas of concern to our community. Urban Strategies has extensive experience in developing stronger, safer communities which were faced with problems exactly mirroring those of Dubuque. Their experience should significantly assist the task force in its process, not only in working with the committees and Task Force, but also in identifying methods that they've seen to be successful in addressing safety concerns in other cities. The cost of employing Urban Strategies is estimated to be between $45,000 and $50,000. We are aware that is more than the amount budgeted by the City Council for the this position, but the search committee feels the expertise offered by Urban Strategies is well worth the additional investment in order to assure a successful outcome for all city residents. If the Task Force agrees, its recommendation will need to be sent to the City Council for approval of the higher expenditure. Should the Task Force prefer to select a facilitator whose cost will not require council approval, the search committee recommends Jan Powers, of Powers of Communication, a Dubuque businesswoman with extensive experience in facilitating various city, business and non - profit groups in their projects. Her estimated expense would be in the neighborhood of $12,000. We wish to reinforce that if this is the route we take we are hiring a very competent facilitator, but we are not getting the experience and knowledge that we would get with the Urban Strategies group. The Task Force met on February 1 to review and discuss this recommendation. The Task Force concurred in the recommendation to contract with Urban Strategies, Inc. On February 9, staff negotiated a contract with Urban Strategies for their services, a copy of which is attached to this memo. Budget Implications The cost to contract with Urban Strategies would be $35,500 in fees and an estimated $9,100 in expenses. This can be funded with election savings in the City Clerk's budget. Action Requested The action requested is that you forward to the City Council the recommendation of the Safe Community Task Force to contract with Urban Strategies, Inc. for facilitation services. Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Safe Community Task Force Recommendation to Contract with Urban Strategies, Inc. for Facilitation Services DATE: February 11, 2010 Dubuque kfittri AY- AmeficaCity 1 1 1 1 I 2007 Human Rights Director Kelly Larson is recommending that Urban Strategies be retained as the facilitator for the Safe Community Task Force. The total costs are $44,600. Funding is available from election savings in the City Clerk's budget. concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director Phyllis Russell, Management Intern Safe Community Task Force Micfiael C. Van Milligen