The Chelsea Downtown Development Authority voted Thursday morning to hire the firm of Deardorff/Poley at a cost not to exceed $50,000 to help the city create a long-term development plan for its downtown.

Two bids were received and Deardorff/Poley was not the low bidder, something which concerned several board members. Carlisle/Wortman was the low bidder at about $40,000, compared to a bid of about $66,000 bid from Deardorff/Poley.

Mark Heydlauff said a close look at the proposals showed less than a $10 difference per hour and added a cap to the total bill in his motion. He said the city had worked with Deardorff/Poley in the past, and the firm's proposal included lots of detail and expertise.

In a 5-3 vote, board members Mike Jackson, Pat Cleary, Peter Flintoft, Heydlauff and Jason Lindauer voted in favor of hiring Deardorff/Poley, while Palmer Morrel-Samuels, Paul Frisinger, and Bob Pierce voted against the motion. Members Jim Myles, Jeff Holman and Pattie Schwarz were absent.