Willows City Council authorizes Maloney Consulting to secure short‑term policing coverage and plan for a municipal department

Willows City Council voted 4‑0 on July 6 to authorize the city manager to execute an agreement with Maloney Consulting and Investigation Solutions to obtain short‑term law‑enforcement coverage and to help build the administrative foundation for reestablishing a municipal police department.

City Manager Marty Brown presented the proposal and said consultant Mike Maloney was present to answer questions. Brown described the engagement as intended to secure patrol coverage from neighboring jurisdictions in the short term while helping the city prepare the policies, training and reporting systems that a municipal department must meet.

The vote followed extended council and public discussion about logistics and urgency. “I’m terrified for Willows right now,” Mike Maloney told the council, saying the city lacks an operating police department and that immediate steps are needed for patrols, dispatch arrangements and records retention. Brown and several council members stressed that protection of life and property was the top priority.

Council members asked how Maloney Consulting was selected and whether the engagement had been sole‑sourced. One council member said the staff packet described a “not to exceed” amount of $60,000, and asked whether that figure was fixed. In the motion recorded at the meeting, the authorization was read with a not‑to‑exceed figure of $5,060,000; the council approved the motion without resolving the discrepancy during the discussion.

Brown said the city has an RFQ (request for qualifications) due July 20 to obtain cost estimates for facility and staffing needs and that those responses will inform longer‑term budgeting. He added that the funds currently budgeted for law enforcement sit in the general fund and are available to spend on law‑enforcement services; staff characterized the situation as an urgent, evolving operational challenge.

During public comment, resident Tom Kelly and resident John Lowe urged prompt action and asked about consultant timelines and the city’s budget treatment for unspent lease funds. Brown said the immediate focus would be to secure patrol coverage while concurrent work proceeds on costs and the administrative framework.

After the vote, the council recessed to closed session to confer with legal counsel about litigation with Glenn County. The city later reported out that direction had been given on closed‑session items and said further information may follow.

The approved engagement instructs the city manager and staff to work with Maloney Consulting to identify immediate patrol options and to develop the administrative requirements — including policies and training — necessary to reestablish a municipal police department. The council did not set a specific public timeline for completion of the longer‑term work during the recorded discussion.

Next steps: staff will solicit and review RFQ responses due July 20 for cost estimates on facilities and staffing, and the city manager indicated that consultant participation in calls with supporting state agencies (Cal OES) could begin immediately if the council’s authorization is implemented.