Council approves contract with Insight for economic-development consulting; administration and contractor pledge regular updates

Tallmadge — The Tallmadge City Council voted 7-0 on July 24 to authorize a contract with Insight Advisory Group LLC for economic-development consulting services to support the city's in-house economic developer.

Mayor Mary Kilway and council members described the contract as a partnership to broaden outreach and capacity. "This would be fulfilling one of my campaign promises — putting this team together, having our full time economic developer in house, and using Insight so that we could have that broader reach and that regional representation," the mayor said.

Sean Joyce of Insight introduced himself and gave an overview of the materials the firm provided to council, including an economic-development impact summary showing jobs and tax impacts from projects Insight has worked on for other clients. Council members welcomed the added analytics and asked for periodic updates from Insight on active projects and outcomes; the mayor and the consultant agreed to provide those briefings.

Why it matters: Council and administration said the contract will support local business retention and attraction work, help organize leads, and provide regional reach and project tracking that administration staff currently do not have capacity to maintain.

What comes next: Insight will begin work per the contract and the administration said staff and the consultant will provide updates to council on activities and prospective projects. Council discussion included a suggestion to ensure elected representatives remain engaged with the city's community-investment corporation (CIC) and Talmadge Grow efforts tied to economic development.