This is a special presentation only on the development of the scope of work for the Transportation Corridor Plan.  No action will be taken but staff is looking for direction on any changes prior to bringing the contract to Council for execution.

Council will be asked to consider authorizing and executing a Contract for Professional Services with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. for services related to the development of the Transportation Corridor Plan at a future regular business meeting. The City of Billings, through this Transportation Corridor Plan, seeks to identify community priorities to establish a vision and framework for continuing to build and maintain a safe transportation network. Through this planning effort, the City of Billings will develop guidance for transportation corridors that accounts for community desires, functions of the roadway, neighborhood character, and future land use while recognizing that not every street can or should prioritize every mode. This plan will be reflective of the community's needs, meaning community engagement will be comprehensive and critical.

This contract will be focused on the community outreach component of the project, and the majority of the contract will be for community engagement and technical analysis. Community engagement will be accomplished by using visual aids (renderings, infographics, maps, graphic-based surveys) to gather feedback and gain an understanding of the community's vision for arterial and collector roadways within Billings. The scope of work includes assistance with in-person engagement (open houses, community group meetings, pop-up events), digital advertising, and allocations for online engagement (social media engagement, online surveys). This project will be led by City staff and assisted by the Consultant. Significant staff time will be spent on this phase of the project, including in-person engagement, development and vetting of concepts, and coordination between various City departments. This contract will not include the final plan, although the results of this effort will be thoroughly documented. The intent is that the scope of work for the final plan will be determined after the community engagement component is completed. A contract for the final deliverable document (Transportation Corridor Plan) may be requested after this contract is completed. 

The City publicly advertised a Request for Proposal in the Yellowstone County News and on the City website on September 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, and October 4th, 2024. Two proposals were received - one from Kittelson & Associates, Inc. and one from Sanbell. The Kittelson & Associates team was selected based on staff review of their proposal, which demonstrated experience in transportation planning and engineering, public outreach, and local knowledge. The selection was based on criteria including firm experience, project manager, key project staff and subconsultants, available resources and consultant location, and project methodology and approach. Development of the scope of work is ongoing. The execution of the contract will be brought to City Council as a consent agenda item during an upcoming regular business meeting.

Not applicable - staff presentation only.

There are no fiscal effects with this presentation. Fiscal effects of the Transportation Corridor Plan will be detailed with the contract.