08.b 2050 Comp Plan1
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: September 15, 2026, City Council Meeting
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Re: 2050 Comp Plan
Background
The City needs to move forward with preparing to submit its 2050 Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan).
As Council knows, the City is statutorily obligated to update its Comp Plan under MN Statute 473.864,
Subd. 2. Council has discussed whether to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) or sign a contract with the
current City planners, Bolton & Menk. Council also discussed that it does not believe the 2040 Plan
needs amendment and that little has changed that would require significant modifications to the Comp
Plan.
If this is truly the case, then Staff recommends moving forward with Bolton & Menk on a contract for
services to complete the Comp Plan. This will allow the City to review the Comp Plan requirements
with planners who know the City and understand our position. Staff would not know how to move
forward with an RFP to modify the Comp Plan in the manner the Council is looking for. I would not
know how to write that RFP, and I do not think any planning agencies would know how to bid on that
project.
The agreement for the Comp Plan with Bolton & Menk can include general Planning Services, as the
City is scheduled to review its planning services in 2027 and determine where an RFP is needed. This
could extend planning services through 2028, when the City is due to submit the Comp Plan to the
Metropolitan Council.