City Council approves consulting contract for assessment of Planning Department

The Murfreesboro City Council voted Thursday, Oct 23, 2025, to approve a $95,000 consulting contract with Thrivence, LLC to conduct an assessment of the City's Planning Department.

"The goal of the assessment is to enhance operational efficiency and organizational effectiveness," said Mayor Shane McFarland . "As the City grows beyond 175,000 residents, increasing demand on the Planning Department requires evaluation of the organization's structures, operational functions, and workflow to identify areas of improvement."

The Planning Department is responsible for coordinating the physical development of the community with a planning staff that assists the public and stakeholders with information regarding use and development of land. Planning reviews development plans in conformance with City ordinances and regulations. For more information on Planning and Zoning, visit https://www.murfreesborotn.gov/2355/Planning-and-Zoning

The organizational and operational assessment will provide the Planning Department with a benchmark of its current and future capabilities as well as a roadmap in optimizing and leveraging its implementation of new permitting software solutions.

A Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal (RFCSP) was issued July 8, 2025, in which nine proposals to assess the Planning Department were received on Aug. 20, 2025. City staff selected Thrivence based on a point-based evaluation criteria as the lowest and responsible bidder.

The operational assessment by Thrivence will include process mapping and workflow optimization, interdepartmental coordination enhancement, and best practices. An organizational assessment will include structural analysis for optimal organization, resource assessment for appropriate staffing, supervisory structure evaluation, management systems optimization, administrative process improvement, and benchmarking for continuous improvement.

As part of the assessment, Thrivence will deliver 1) an Operational Assessment Report, 2) Organizational Structure Recommendations, 3) Operational Improvement Recommendations, 4) a Performance Management Framework, and 5) a high-level Implementation Roadmap.

The cost of consulting services is funding from the Unforeseen Contingency Account and applied to the Planning Department's operational budget. A Statement of Work is included in the Oct. 23, 2025, Council agenda.

All contracts are pending legal review.

For City News online, visit www.Murfreesborotn.gov.