Neosho council approves Lexipol contracts to modernize police and fire policies

Neosho City Council on a 6-0 vote authorized separate agreements with Lexipol LLC to modernize and maintain policy manuals for the Police and Fire departments.

The Police Department's contract (Ordinance 2026-09) was presented after an earlier RFP produced two proposals that exceeded the project budget; staff said Sourcewell, a cooperative procurement program, made Lexipol a compliant alternative. The chief told the council the Lexipol solution includes an implementation and training platform that automatically distributes policy updates and tracks officer acknowledgment. Year-one implementation cost was listed at $35,848.80 with an annual maintenance fee of $15,369.30 thereafter. City counsel said funding for the police contract will require a budget amendment from fund balance.

For the Fire Department, the council approved Ordinance 2026-10 to contract with Lexipol to revise standard operating guidelines and other policies the fire chief described as outdated. The implementation cost presented was $34,123.50, with an annual maintenance fee of $12,312.

During discussion the Police Chief said the Lexipol option does not include an in-person cultural harmonization process offered by some other vendors and that those services accounted for higher costs in the earlier proposals. Council members asked whether annual costs were comparable to the rejected proposals; the chief said annual fees were similar and emphasized that Lexipol provides a policy distribution and training-tracking system that the department lacks.

Both ordinances were approved 6-0. The council's action follows staff's recommendation to reject the higher-cost RFP bids and to use Sourcewell to procure a policy vendor that meets the city's procurement rules and budget constraints.