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Coleman Park residents back CJE Security; city staff to review procurement options
Summary
Residents urged the commission to appoint CJE Security Inc. for Coleman Park neighborhood patrols and the city administrator said staff will review procurement options to determine whether the firm can be added under existing agreements or whether a separate competitive process is required.
Kathy Gardner, president of the Coleman Park Neighborhood Association, asked the City Commission Monday to consider appointing CJE Security Inc. to provide on-site daily security for the Coleman Park neighborhood, citing rising drug activity and prostitution and prior positive experiences with the company at community events.
Gardner said CJE Security has been operating for 10 years, has volunteered for neighborhood events and has experience connecting people to shelter resources. Multiple residents submitted written comments supporting the recommendation.
Commissioners and city staff discussed how such neighborhood security would be procured and funded. City Administrator Johnson said the existing security contract selected through a prior procurement covers city properties and areas — for example, parks and municipal sites — and did not specifically include neighborhoods such as Coleman Park. Johnson said the city followed a request-for-proposal (RFP) process when selecting the current firm, but there was not an RFP specifically for Coleman Park.
Johnson explained two procurement pathways: a one-time service below the $50,000 threshold could be arranged administratively under the mayor’s/manager’s discretion; an ongoing contract above $50,000 would require a competitive process. A city attorney present confirmed the $50,000 competitive threshold referenced by administration.
Commissioners expressed support for exploring options and asked staff to report back. Commissioner Lambert thanked Gardner for speaking and asked administration to provide updates on where security services are being deployed; Commissioner Fox said she would like to see the locations and consider expanding coverage during upcoming budget discussions. Administrator Johnson said staff would have internal discussions and return with recommendations on whether the contracted firm’s services can be extended to Coleman Park or whether a separate procurement is needed.
No formal action or contract award was taken at the meeting; staff committed to follow up with options for the commission to consider.
