TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Beth Beatty, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Agreements Associated with the City-wide Comprehensive Plan
Award of Professional Services Agreement for the Joliet Comprehensive Plan to Lamar Johnson Collaborative in the Amount of $564,250
Award of Professional Services Agreement for an Economic Analysis to Urban3 in the amount of $138,768.00
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BACKGROUND:
The current fiscal year budget includes funding for preparation of a new city-wide Comprehensive Plan. The City issued a Request for Qualifications on October 11, 2022 for professional services to prepare a city-wide comprehensive plan. The Request for Qualifications is attached. Six qualifications were returned to the City by the November 14, 2022 deadline:
• Camiros
• Confluence
• Dover Kohl & Partners
• Graef
• Houseal Lavigne
• Lamar Johnson Collaborative
An RFQ Evaluation Committee comprised of staff from five City divisions / departments evaluated and scored each of the qualifications submittals. This analysis included a detailed review of qualifications, specialized experience, and proposed approach that demonstrated an understanding of Joliet’s opportunities and challenges and employed innovation and creativity. The RFP Evaluation Committee selected the top three consultant teams for interviews and conducted interviews on December 7 and December 8, 2022.
After conducting the interviews, the review committee felt that Lamar Johnson Collaborative’s qualifications best met the desired outcomes for this project and had the most relevant experience for this project. Lamar Johnson Collaborative has conducted numerous other comparable projects and in geographic settings like Joliet. The Lamar Johnson Collaborative’s team includes the following expertise:
• Lamar Johnson Collaborative’s - Lead Planning Consultant, Urban Design, Planning, Land Use Analysis
• SB Friedman - Market Analysis and Economic Development
• MUSE - Public Engagement
• Bio Habitats - Ecological Design
• TWIG (formerly Ruettiger, Tonelli & Associates) - Transportation Planning
Each of the consultants on this team have an office in the Chicagoland area. Their qualifications submittal can be found as an attachment.
DISCUSSION:
For the reasons described above, the RFQ Evaluation Committee requested that Lamar Johnson Collaborative submit a detailed scope of work and fee proposal for the preparation city-wide comprehensive plan.
The Lamar Johnson Collaborative’s project approach consists of five phases, with each phase including public engagement activities and associated deliverables. Lamar Johnson Collaborative estimates that the project will occur over an 18-24 month timeline.
§ Phase 1: Evaluate (project kick-off, project branding, data collection, existing conditions analysis, advisory committee and working group meetings)
§ Phase 2: Investigate (key person interviews, community visioning public workshop, key topic area definition and policy framework, advisory committee and working group meetings)
§ Phase 3: Enhance (public workshop on key topic areas, advisory committee and working group meetings)
§ Phase 4: Empower (preparation of draft plan and preparation of subarea plans, advisory committee and working group meetings)
§ Phase 5: Examine (preparation of implementation plan, presentation of final plan, final plan open house)
The Lamar Johnson Collaborative proposal has a project fee of $564,250, which includes extensive public engagement, stipends for volunteer citizen participation, and labor for the preparation and delivery of the plan. This project fee does not include direct costs such as printing of the plan, workshop materials; flyers, handouts and other materials; paid content (social media); translation of Draft and/or Final document; project branded collateral; and travel expenses. Lamar Johnson has suggested that the City should budget an additional $15,000-$17,000 to cover the costs of direct costs and additional expenses, which is around 3% of the total project budget. Their fee proposal / proposed scope of work can be found as an attachment.
Over a year after the City issued the RFQ and requested that Lamar Johnson Collaborative submit a proposal, the City learned of Urban3’s proprietary model for conducting a revenue and fiscal analysis. Urban3 is a data-driven consulting firm based out of Ashville, NC that specializes in land value economics, property tax analysis and community design. Since the City also desires a robust and sound economic and fiscal analysis as part of this overall comprehensive plan project, the City requested that Urban3 submit a proposal for conducting an Economic Analysis that evaluates the City’s financial health as it relates to the built environment by measuring data and visualizing the results. This Economic Analysis will consist of three phases - Revenue Modeling and Analysis, Fiscal Audit and Mapping Analysis, and Final Report and Presentations - and would be completed during the first phase of the Comprehensive Plan project to inform the existing conditions analysis of the overall Comprehensive Plan project as well as the Plan’s final recommendations.
Urban3’s fee proposal for an Economic Analysis, which includes up to six in-person presentations on Analysis findings is $138,768. Their fee proposal / proposed scope of work can be found as an attachment.
The City of Joliet recently learned of potential funding assistance through the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority (JADA) whose purpose is to: facilitate and promote the utilization of property formerly occupied and used by the United States government as an ammunition plant and arsenal and to replace and enhance the economic benefits generated by those former uses with diversified projects and land uses that will create new job opportunities and foster new economic development within the area. The Authority has an obligation to work with the municipalities that are in the Arsenal planning area, which includes Joliet. The City of Joliet requested assistance in the amount of $75,000 from JADA to help fund a portion of the City’s Economic Analysis. JADA approved a grant award to the City of Joliet for the requested $75,000. Therefore, the Economic Analysis will cost the City $63,768 to undertake.
Section 2-438 of the City of Joliet Code of Ordinances states that purchases over $25,000.00 may be awarded without written specifications or bidding under certain circumstances. Two of these circumstances apply:
(f) purchases when authorized by a concurring vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Mayor and City Council;
(g) Purchases of professional services.
Based on the above, the total project costs for the City-wide Comprehensive Plan are estimated at $644,768.00. The City intends to budget for this project across three fiscal years. The Community Development Department has sufficient funds in its 2024 budget for the first year of this project. Funds will be charged to the Planning Professional Services (Org 02024000, Object 523300).
Following execution of an agreement, staff will meet with the project manager for the consultant teams to develop a project schedule. Engagement with the public, community stakeholders, and the Mayor and City Council will be a critical part of the planning process. Additional details will be forthcoming, and staff will provide the Mayor and City Council with regular updates throughout the duration of the project.
RECOMMENDATION OF LAND USE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
The Land Use and Economic Development Committee met on May 29, 2024 to review staff’s recommendation to enter into agreements with the following entities so that the City can move forward with preparing a City-wide Comprehensive Plan: Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Urban3 and Joliet Arsenal Development Authority. Staff gave a brief overview about the Lamar Johnson Collaborative proposal and Urban3 proposal. There was a lengthy discussion about the comprehensive plan and complementary economic analysis, in which Councilman Mudron, Councilman Guerrero, and Councilman Cardenas asked questions and staff responded.
After this discussion, a motion was made by Councilman Pat Mudron, seconded by Councilman Cesar Guerrero, to approve Award of Professional Services Agreement for the Joliet Comprehensive Plan to Lamar Johnson Collaborative in the Amount of $564,250 to be moved to the full Council for consideration. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Councilman Cardenas, Councilman Guerrero and Councilman Mudron.
A motion was made by Councilman Cesar Guerrero, seconded by Councilman Pat Mudron, to approve Award of Professional Services Agreement for An Economic Analysis to Urban3 in the Amount of $138,768 and a Resolution Authorizing the Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority and Acceptance of a $75,000 Grant to Fund an Economic Analysis to be moved to the full Council for consideration. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Councilman Cardenas, Councilman Guerrero and Councilman Mudron.
Minutes of the May 29, 2024 meeting are attached.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Council approve the following agreements associated with the City-wide Comprehensive Plan and budget $644,768.00 for this project to be paid over the course of FY2024, FY2025 FY2026:
• Award of Professional Services Agreement for the Joliet Comprehensive Plan to Lamar Johnson Collaborative in the Amount of $564,250
• Award of Professional Services Agreement for an Economic Analysis to Urban3 in the amount of $138,768.00
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