By Dave Fidlin
CORRESPONDENT
Whitewater Police Department personnel are set to begin meeting with an outside consultant on a staffing study as the spring season gets underway, based on information shared at a recent Common Council meeting.
Police Chief Dan Meyer provided the council with a brief update on the imminent study, which is coming together after a pivotal vote was cast last month.
Platte City, Mo.-based consulting services firm Fitch and Associates was selected last month as the winning bidder for the study, edging out two other firms that threw their hats into the ring for the forthcoming deep dive into WPD’s operational structure.
Fitch provided a $48,000 quote for the study. It edged out McMahon and Associates, with a quote ranging from $35,000-$40,000; and Public Administration Associates, with a $70,990 quote.
The council earmarked $50,000 within the current municipal budget toward the study, meaning the $48,000 bid from Fitch comes in within the threshold.
“We’re working to set up a kick-off meting with Fitch – we’re probably looking at about two to three weeks out,” Meyer said at the council’s March 5 meeting as he discussed next steps.
Meyer also provided the council with a more robust array of information on the three firms’ quote submittals to the city’s formal request for proposals early this year. Last month, Meyer only provided the council with a summary of the quotes, asserting the information contained proprietary information.
However, council members questioned whether to make the full contents of the submittals public before the vote in favor of Fitch was given.
“I’ve got a signed copy of that agreement in the packet, along with the other two proposals that were received,” Meyer said, confirming he made all of the submittals a matter of public record, as of the March 5 meeting.
According to the newly public release of the documents, Fitch COO Guillermo Fuentes touted the company’s expertise and what it could bring to the table in helping WPD navigate its future needs.
“Fitch has worked on some of the most complicated geopolitical landscapes in the world,” Fuentes wrote. “Having worked in every continent, and on a wide variety of projects, we understand the complexities that national issues can have on local communities.”
Meyer previously stated Fitch was the recommended firm of the three prospects, based on a variety of criteria.
“The proposals were reviewed by a evaluation panel that independently scored the proposals, based on a 100-point scale, evaluating each firm’s qualifications, experience and technical competence, proposed approach to accomplish the work, knowledge and understanding of law enforcement service delivery, project organization and key personnel, cost and references,” Meyer said.
The review comes as the current police force has worked to meet the growing needs within the community, including an influx of migrants, in recent years.
