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The West Jordan City Council is poised to cut its costs in half for employing a prominent Capitol Hill lobbying firm.

The proposed revision to the contract with Foxley & Pignanelli from a $15,000 monthly retainer to $7,500 is apparently mainly the initiative of new City Manager Mark Palesh.

The new contract, up for a council vote Wednesday, "is not an initiative of the new council but rather the result of a new city manager systematically reviewing all contracts/agreements," said West Jordan spokeswoman Kim Wells. "He also got our contract attorney to reduce their rate by almost half their hourly rate."

Wells said the reduced contract comes as Foxley & Pignanelli "has completed significant work for us on the auto legislation — we are working hard to get an automall here — and they were also very valuable during our fight to get off the prison relocation site list."

West Jordan is one of about three dozen organizations listed as clients by the lobby firm.

Palesh, who started in September, reviewed the contract and outlined some things that he wanted the lobbyist to focus on and requested a cost estimate, which is reflected in the new retainer.

The city council raised some eyebrows last summer when it voted to increase the Foxley & Pignanelli contract from $60,000 to $180,000 for the year. Only two council members opposed the move. They thought the contract approval was premature coming before the city had identified its lobbying priorities.

The city of 111,000 also has a retainer with RRJ Consulting for $50,000 annually.

Mayor Kim Rolfe at the time was among leading proponents for the expanded contract with the lobbyists, saying at one point that such professionals are "worth their weight in gold" to the city.

Wells said Tuesday that Rolfe remains 'tickled to death with what they have been doing' for the city," adding that Palesh "agreed that they perform a valuable service for us."