DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — During Monday night's Decatur City Council meeting, members passed a resolution to sign on with Mercury Public Affairs as a lobbying group.
The contract with Mercury Public Affairs will last for the next two years, starting January 2025. The contract cost is $100,000 for the first year, which has already been worked into the approved 2025 budget.
Mercury will help the city secure federal funding, advocate for the city's policies and financial needs, and assist with pursuing state and federal grants.
Nick Bustos, a Senior Vice President at Mercury, said that the firm is committed to serving the community to their best ability. "I can promise you that every single day that we will work our hardest to leverage as many opportunities for the city of Decatur, and to bring as much money home to your community for the benefit of the people."
Former United States Representative Cheri Bustos -- a Partner at Mercury -- said that her experience and connections with the federal government has aided her in her pursuits in the private sector.
She also said that Mercury's reputation as a bipartisan firm will serve well in the following years. "Because of the November election, I am really, really glad that we're a bipartisan firm. I like to say that 'there's not a door that we can't open.'"
Councilman Dr. David Horn was in full support of the resolution, and has high hopes for the coming years. "The city has opportunities for tens of millions of dollars in federally funded initiatives, and having a lobbying firm will hopefully be the catalyst that is needed to get the funds that the city and its residents need to move forward with some much needed and overdue projects."
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