I’ve had a couple readers express concerns regarding the city’s plans to spend half a million dollars on a rebranding effort.
Although the mayor’s recommendations regarding the allocation of the excess fund balance was referred back to the Finance Committee due to the desire to amend it to include funding for a transportation utility study, those allocations do also include designations for a rebranding study and then implementation. As a result, I took the opportunity to reach out to the members of the Finance Committee and ask them if there were any metrics to determine the economic impact of a city rebranding and how the city planned to track and report that to the public.
Since I sent my email on a Sunday, I was not expecting a reply back until at least Monday, but Alderperson Katie Van Zeeland (District 5) responded just a few hours after receiving my email.
Presuming the Finance Committee and Council approve the allocation, that action would simply set aside money for a brand study and rebranding implementation. It would not be approving a contract or a company to perform the brand study; contract approval would have to go through the committee process and then finally be voted on by the Common Council.
Per Alderperson Van Zeeland’s email, “With the money set aside, the RFP process can begin and will allow for detailed bids and proposals. I expect to see these types of metrics discussed more thoroughly in these proposals, and if not to our satisfaction, we can reject the contract and bring action to reallocate the funds.”
She noted that the Brand Study Resolution included language asking that “citizen input through open dialogue sessions be included as part of the overall process”
She concluded by saying, “I expect this to be a very thorough process with opportunities at two committees to address any concerns.”
So, although approval of the excess funds balance allocations would pave the way for conducting a brand study and a city rebranding, it is not in and of itself an approval of a brand study or rebranding implementation. There are many steps along the way, many of which will include the opportunity for public input.
You can download a copy of the draft Request For Proposal for a brand study here:
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