The contract the council is considering would pay the Russ Reid Co. $120,000 annually, which is more than the salary of the city’s highest paid staff member.
“We’ve come to the conclusion that for us to identify the range of resources possible, we need professional help,” City Manager Sam Listi said.
Listi said his staff recognizes that the move would be costly but he said the potential benefits could far exceed the up-front costs of the contract.
“They’re pretty experienced and pretty impressive,” City Council Member John Agan said. “They’re like our staff on the ground in D.C.”
The move is necessary because competition has increased for federal funding, Listi said.
“It’s more important that we focus our efforts on what can be successful,” he said.
If the council agrees to hire the firm, it would send representatives to Belton to work out a funding priority plan. Listi said the city has ideas about projects it needs help to fund but said it could benefit from professional help determining other available opportunities.
Listi spoke Monday about two potential projects the city needs help funding.
For the past several years the city has been unsuccessful in attempts with state and federal officials to find funding to build the 9th Avenue Bridge, which would connect U.S. 317 and Loop 121.
In addition, the city funded a study that is looking at the possibility of building a sewage plant in the city’s southern growth area in the Lampasas River Basin. If a plant were built in that area, it could be fast tracked with the help of federal dollars.
The Reid Co. has a track record for finding funding for other cities the size of Belton, according to literature it used to present its services.
It secured more than $5 million in funding for road projects and $1 million in funding for sewage improvements for the Village of Franklin Park in Illinois.
“I think it really holds some promise,” Listi said about the potential hire of the firm. “It’s a very professional approach to try and address the situation.”
The potential hiring of the firm should not be seen as an indictment against members of Congress who represent Belton. Listi said the city has a good working relationship with its elected state and federal officials.
The contract would need to be renewed on an annual basis to be valid.
In other business, the council is expected to rename South Wall Park create an ordinance that would make 5th Avenue a one-way street between Penelope Street and Wall Street.
The council also is considering hiring a consultant to develop a strategic plan for the city’s police department.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Harris Community Center, 401 N. Alexander St.
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