Welcome to the legislative and lobbying committee meetings tonight.

Please take a roll.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Thank you.

We have one committee item, and it is the renewal of the professional services contract with Zephyr government strategies for $10,000 per month for the City of Rockford's 2026 lobbying services.

Is there a motion to prove I'll second the motion?

Any questions or comments?

Alderman Meeks.

I guess I can't see.

Is um Mr.

Cassidy here?

I don't believe he is.

Okay, so I can't ask him questions.

I'll ask you then.

The last year when we approved this, it came with the 2025-2026 priorities.

So are we creating a 2026-2027 priorities list?

And if so, when?

I believe we would probably at be after the veto session, I would take it.

Thank you, Chairman.

So yes, that would be the intent is the next step by the legend lobbying committee would be to prepare uh 26, 27 um priority list, and we could do that as you know as early as as council would want to.

You may recall um previous to the chair uh the the change in chairmanship, uh Chairman Chairman Prunty um had me send out multiple emails to city council to seek input um related to creating a new priority list.

And so the the thought was in conjunction with renewing this contract, um then the next step would be to get back to working on a priority list.

Perfect.

Um yeah, I I had a couple of questions about pension reform and um just kind of the results of some of the legislative priorities that we drafted back in 25 and 26.

So I'll just direct those directly to Mr.

Cassidy.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I obviously the the new um list or if there is a new list on on priority, we can address that either cumulatively or one-on-one, and then I I believe between Ms.

Mr.

Cagnoni and our legal director as well as we put together the list.

Um and we could do that.

We can do it any time, but I think we'd it'd probably be prudent to do it now with the put together our final kind of hit list um after the veto session.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Alderman Foundado.

Chairman, uh just want to bring something up.

Uh I've had conversations with uh a couple of you uh folks.

Um I'm just gonna uh ask uh the chair, you know, going forward for this next next fiscal cycle uh if we can start looking at our RFQ process uh for this particular um uh lobbying um position.

I think it's been quite some time since we've done it.

Um not saying that Mr.

Cassidy and his team have done not done a phenomenal job, etc.

etc.

But I do think it's uh well due diligence to kind of look at that just like we do with our auditors, etc.

Um, I think it just would be advantageous for us to uh start that process again.

Um now that we're starting if there's a whole year uh based on the contract, so I think it might take three, four months for us to do that, and I just think that that's probably prudent to do that for the next uh cycle.

So uh Mr.

Mike Cassidy has uh word of what we're looking to do and you know and preparation for that.

So that's what I just asked, hopefully the chair will oblige for that.

Thank you.

Yep, probably any other questions or comments.

Thank you.

Um first let me just ask, do we need to make a motion to make sure that that alderman's um the 11th Worth Alderman's request um goes through, or what do we need to do?

Uh we don't need a motion on that now.

I mean I I I I think I spoke to Mr.

Sagato last week about it, and I think it's uh convey that to actually Mr.

Cagnoni uh and if uh uh we can go out for just to work on and uh for next year in either an RFP, RFQ, whatever is appropriate with uh uh with the specifics uh laid out for that, so we can we can get that out there.

Okay, thank you.

And then as it relates to the email that we have put out um earlier, um requesting um um priorities, um was the methodology, because I think you add you you posed the question, Chairman, of um is that something we want to do together, is that something that we want to do?

And I I did it in the I did it in the way that I thought, okay, let's get some discussion going.

But I'm asking staff, was that the best strategy, or what strategy would you recommend if it were not for getting the feedback that you need so that we can give our um service provider what they need to do?

So didn't it did not get a significant number of responses?

And I think it may be helpful if we prepare a draft as and submit it as a draft to the committee in in this format, so all the council individuals can provide their input for items that we may have overlicked or could be deleted from the process.

I think sometimes it's easier to have a document to work off than to start from scratch.

I know that for myself personally, so maybe that would be a better approach if we send it out or bring it to committee as a draft and then let you guys work on it.

And then last, I think it would be beneficial if someone could um since we are going to go with the strategy described by the 11th Ward Alderman and also um the fourth ward alderman, it would be probably good if you would send it out again so that council could refresh their memory on our procurement process for professional services.

Uh we'd be happy to do that.

One, I can sort of resend out the the previous uh drafts and ones that were adopted by council just to refresh everybody's uh memory in advance of actually having it on the agenda, and we'd be happy to share what the RFP process is.

Okay, and um that I think that what that might allow people to do is to see how it has adapted and then if further adaptations are needed.

So thank you.

All the meets?

No.

Nothing?

Okay.

Thank you though.

All right.

Uh seeing no further questions.

All those in favor of I indicate by aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

All right.

Mayor passes.

Uh is there a motion to adjourn?

So I moved.

Thank you.

All those in favor of adjourning, aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

Thank you.

This meeting is adjourned.