Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dispatch Study topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selectboard approves ADCOM contract for dispatch study with conditions on scope and travel costs
Summary
The New London Selectboard voted to hire ADCOM Engineering for an initial dispatch study phase (proposed at $29,600) but instructed staff to negotiate an in-person presentation, cap reimbursable travel expenses and request clearer cost benchmarking and KPI language after public commenters questioned the proposal’s lack of explicit cost comparisons to regional centers.
The New London Selectboard voted July 2 to move forward with ADCOM Engineering to conduct the first phase of a dispatch study intended to clarify options for keeping local dispatch or consolidating with a regional center.
Board members and staff described ADCOM's quoted fee of about $29,600 for steps one through three of its proposal and agreed to ask the consultant to add an in-person presentation to the virtual work that ADCOM proposed. The board also directed staff to seek clarity on the proposal’s reimbursable expenses and to negotiate a cap or clearer estimate for travel costs before finalizing the scope.
"That first bit of money is to just say, do we keep it or not?" a selectboard member said, describing the need for an actionable decision from the initial $29,600. The board emphasized the study should produce strategic decision support rather than detailed engineering implementation plans.
Public commenters pressed for clearer benchmarking and cost comparisons to existing regional dispatch centers. "I don't see any reference to cost assessment in their proposal," Colin Beasley said, asking whether ADCOM would compare New London to centers in the region. Rich Epstein added his concern: "Their proposal did not include costs. That is why the study is needed," and warned a consultant should be unbiased in its analysis.
Staff and the chief of police said ADCOM appeared to have relevant regional experience and that Fitch & Associates had submitted a higher-cost alternative (quoted in the transcript at about $84,500). The board instructed staff to return with clarifying questions for ADCOM and, where possible, comparable cost and performance data for regional centers so the board can judge whether the consultant’s deliverables meet the town’s decision-making needs.
A motion to hire ADCOM for the initial study phase was moved and seconded; the board asked staff to obtain the additional scope and expense clarifications before finalizing any contract language. The transcript indicates the board took the procedural step to proceed with ADCOM pending those clarifications.
The board did not publish a roll-call vote in the meeting transcript; staff said they would fine-tune the questions and follow up with the consultants and return to the board with written answers.
