City manager Matt Mogensen hired the consultants for $24K. Two years sales taxes on PG Weed might cover the fee, eh?
The initial term of the contract with HdL is expected to be less than $24,000 through December 2026. “Consultant fees to the city will only be charged for the hours necessary to finalize the application process and establish the user fees,” according to a report by Mogensen presented to the council at its Dec. 18 meeting.
“The user fees will cover all other costs associated with the consultant’s work and will be charged to the applicant,” the report said. After voter approval of a pot shop, the council directed city officials to create a licensing program to allow the operation of a retail storefront. A cannabis business must first obtain a license to operate from the city before getting a use permit.Citizens Inge Lorentzen Daumer and Mike Gibbs opposed hiring HdL, with Gibbs, a member of the city’s Economic Development Commission, saying he believed the company’s services were “particularly poor,” while Daumer said she had “never been a fan” of the consulting firm. The city council did not entertain their concerns.