Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, March 29, 2011,
Item 23
23 is to consider and take appropriate action on selection of the top ranched firm based on interviews for Travis County redistricting services and authorize the purchasing agent.
we indicate it may be taken into executive session.
we had our interviews last week.
indicated our intention to bring this matter back today for action.
that is what is before us.
cort?
questions, comments?
>> I was hoping to get the final invest, apples to apples comparison.
I think in executive session.
>> all right.
jim, can we go into executive session to get that?
>> judge, I'm not really familiar with this item, the history of it.
let me visit with john and find out.
is that all right?
in the next couple of minutes.
>> all right.
then we will call this item up in just a few minutes.
that is 23.
unless there is objection we will call that item up when we see jim or john.
let me call the item back up 23, consider and take appropriate action on selection of the top ranched firm based on interviews for request for services fra Travis County redistricting services and authorize the purchasing agent to commence negotiations.
>> an update, we have the three firms, y'all did the interviews last week.
I had and my offices cents out a best and final offer to try and clarify costs, to get more of an apples to apples comparison.
unfortunately, the document that I have, if I pass out to you, we still don't have a real apples to apples comparison.
so I can pass this out to you and get it back because it's.
then the top of the page shows the initial price (off microphone).
I guess what I would say, we feel one issue, that is our budget, we have $70,000 budgeted for this.
and from those, the looks of that--
>> the information here cannot be roo e peted publicly.
>> I would prefer it not be because we are still in negotiations and these prices still can be negotiated.
>> thank you.
>> what I was saying is that we have $70,000 budgeted.
from my read of this, that might get us one firm but we still have additional costs of legal notices that we will have to pay.
I think the court is going to have to consider that we will have to do a budget transfer.
my second recommendation would be that based on your interviews and the data that you have, that you pick a firm today and let me try to finalize the negotiations with that firmament we could go back to all three and try to finalize this.
but we are running up against time.
so my recommendation is that you all select a firm for me to continue to negotiate with and hopefully get it down within our budget and have a contract back to you fairly rapidly.
because we are up against time.
>> and based on the interviews, we ask, I think, how difficult the redistricting for Travis County would be.
and it was from easy moderate.
so I mean, that makes sense to me because we have redistricted in Travis County since 1970, which was probably one of the most difficult times.
but that was the foundation for future redistricting.
that meant the --met the vra rules to get approved by doj.
it tells me kind of, I got the impression, you know, having that history, that it really should take from 50 to 70,000 to get this redistricting done.
I may be wrong, but sounds like we're dealing with increase in numbers.
we still have to come down to one-person one-vote argument.
>> I guess the point is that whatever we decide to do here today, it still will have to go through the purchasing agent and allow the purchasing agent to negotiate with what we have got.
and come up with the best, I guess, price that we can get in this thing, but the negotiation process still must take place.
I'd like to make a motion here.
if there's no other comment.
we were going through extensive interview and question and answer session.
of course, aid like to put a --i'd like to put a motion on the floor judge as soon as we get through hearing from the rest of the Commissioners court.
>> these amounts vary greatly.
seems we ought to have a better idea of whether these figures represent the total amounts or not.
>> yes.
>> one of them is double the other, the other is almost three times.
>> yes.
>> and if you look at the additional costs, it's just really hard to do an apples to apples comparison.
>> in the interviews, I think it became fairly apparent that the task is very clear.
it's not a complicated task.
but that is not to say it doesn't require quality work and a level of transparency to maintain the trust of the elect torate in this very sensitive issue of redistricting.
so I think that we are purchasing equity, efficiency, and transparency.
I hear what you are saying as far as the apples to apples comparison.
there is one firm that has been rather consistent in its pricing.
I would suggest that we go with that one that has been consistent with their pricing.
>> Commissioner Davis.
>> I'd like to move we go with the firm of training assessment and professional and we also direct the purchasing agent to commence negotiation with this particular firm.
>> judge.
>> I second the motion.
Commissioner Huber.
>> yobble --i don't believe I would be comfortable voting at this time when we have a huge number of line items that cannot be determined.
and since a number of those items say paid by Travis County, I'm wondering if we can at least get some estimates internally on what our costs might be so we have a better comparison between the different proposals.
>> that was my position before the motion.
during the negotiation process, the purchasing agent can gather any educational information and bring it back to us with the contract.
>> what have we done in the past?
I think in the past didn't the county pick up a lot of those costs.
we paid for the advertising.
>> I think we paid for advertising.
>> and the posting.
>> I think this budgeted amount was based on ten years ago budget.
we had talked about that initially that 70,000 might need a little more or less.
>> I make a substitute motion for redondo and associates to commence negotiations with them.
they have been consistent throughout on their pricing.
they clearly have the expertise and the background.
again, what we are doing here isn't rocket science.
we know what is required.
it's a matter of doing it in a way that is open and transparent and done with efficiency and equity.
I think that the pricing on this is not complicated.
the other two firms have a rather complicated pricing structure.
this one has a straight ahead pricing structure from the get-go and within our budget.
I don't think that we need a cadillac here.
I think we need a reliable machine.
this is a reliable machine.
>> I second that motion.
>> seconded by Commissioner Gomez.
substitute motion is to choose rolondriaz and associates.
any discussion of the substitute motion?
all in favor of taking up the substitute motion, raise your right hand.
Commissioner Gomez, Eckhardt and Huber vote to take up the substitute motion first.
those who oppose that?
show the county judge and Commissioner Davis.
so we are at the substitute motion.
and any more discussion of it?
that is to select rios and associates whose price is shown here and the motion will be to authorize the purchasing agent to negotiate further with this firm.
discussion?
all in favor of that motion.
substitute motion.
show Commissioners Gomez, Huber, Eckhardt voting in favor.
voting against, show Commissioner Davis and yours truly.
that motion carries by a vote of 3-2.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> daniel said that we're ready to go.
>> I think in addition to that, we're going to have to look at postage, advertising, and we'll have to amend our budget to cover those issues.
>> I'll work with pbo on that.
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