Charlotte City Council voted Nov. 10 to award a two‑year youth violence prevention communications and social‑norms contract to Creative Marketing Resources, Inc., authorizing the manager to renew for up to a third year. The vote passed with three council members opposed.

Staff and the mayor’s referral committee said the solicitation attracted 18 proposals and that the recommended firm submitted the highest‑ranked proposal based on a review panel. City staff told council Creative Marketing Resources is registered in North Carolina and MBE‑certified and proposed local staff to lead the initiative; the firm also proposed to partner with My Brother's Keeper and UNC Charlotte’s Violence Prevention Center for on‑the‑ground recruitment, youth engagement and evaluation.

Rebecca (Housing & Neighborhood Services/Office of Youth Opportunities) told council the selected firm offered extensive prior experience in public‑health and social‑impact messaging and presented a fully developed campaign approach. She said the contract will pay youth to participate in message development and includes an academic evaluation partnership. The city estimated annual spending at up to $300,000 (maximum $600,000 over two years) from a council‑allocated pool of PAYGO funds tied to earlier committee recommendations.

Three council members voiced objections to awarding the prime to a firm headquartered outside Charlotte, arguing the city should prioritize local primes or make the procurement structure more locally oriented. Staff replied they had identified local firms among proposers and the second‑highest scoring local firm was later found to have its state registration revoked, precluding award. Staff offered to provide the full list of applicants and said they will continue to partner with local organizations in execution.

Next steps: Manager will execute the contract with Creative Marketing Resources with local partnerships and youth engagement as proposed; staff will provide the procurement list and answer follow‑up questions on local participation and subcontracts.