Highland renews its $100,000 grant and legislative consulting contract on a 4–1 vote
Highland's council voted 4–1 on Sept. 1, 2026 to renew a one-year, $100,000 contract with DLS Consulting, Inc. for grant and legislative support. Staff credited the consultant with helping the city secure about $4 million in grants over four years; one council member proposed an in-house grant coordinator instead.
Continuing story: Auditing Highland
Highland's City Council voted 4–1 on Sept. 1, 2026 to renew the city's contract with DLS Consulting, Inc. for consultant services focused on grant and legislative support for a one-year term, according to the approved minutes. [1]
Council Member Liz Rice moved to approve the contract "in the amount of $100,000 and authorize the City Administrator to sign the contract." Council Members Doug Cortney, Rice, Kim Rodela and Scott L. Smith voted yes; Council Member Ron Campbell voted no. [1]
What staff said
City Administrator Erin Wells presented the renewal of the city's one-year contract with DLS Consulting (David Stewart) for legislative and grant consulting at an annual cost of $100,000, the minutes say. [1]
She said that over the past four years, Stewart had helped the city secure approximately $4 million in grants for water infrastructure and road projects, including the Highland Boulevard roundabout and well rehabilitation. The minutes record a discussion in which, for two of the four grants obtained, the city would likely not have been successful without Stewart's advance notice of the grant opening. [1]
The minutes say his primary focus would likely be road-related grants. Wells confirmed the city's transportation utility fee would expire in fiscal 2028. [1]
The debate
Campbell said he had become less comfortable with the lobbyist model and proposed exploring a part-time or full-time grant administration coordinator, at an estimated $50,000 to $70,000, as a two-year pilot. [1]
Rodela called $100,000 a significant expenditure for one or two grants and raised concerns that cities with more money for lobbyists gain an unfair advantage in accessing public grant funds, according to the minutes. [1]
Smith said the return of roughly $4 million on $400,000 spent was difficult to set aside. Cortney suggested considering the coordinator concept for fiscal 2028. Mayor Brittney P. Bills said she would like to look at a grant administrator position in next year's budget discussions. [1]
The $4 million figure is a statement made at the meeting. The Ledger has not independently tallied the grants or established what role the consultant played in each.
Sources
Reporting by The Utah Ledger from the public records above. AI-assisted, checked against those records.