Police & Fire Commission

Police and Fire Commission Regular Meeting Minutes May 5, 2026 Attendance: Deb Rice, Tim Boldt, Will LeSuer, Nathan Manwiller, Jason Thompson, Council Liaison Kathy Kopp, Fire Chief Ryan Simmons, Chief of Police Josh Grabandt. • The meeting was called to order at 5:0 p.m. by President Boldt. • There were no citizen comments or observations. • Fire Department Update: Membership Update • There has been no change to our membership, and we are still currently at 53 volunteers. We have 2 individuals who have made inquiries into volunteering and are beginning the early stages of discussions on what is involved with being a volunteer and what the process is if they have the desire to volunteer. Report of Calls for Service • The fire department responded to 20 incidents in April. FD response summary for April is as follows: Fires ...................................... 7 Vehicle Crashes..................... 0 Gas Odor/CO Alarms ............. 3 Alarm System Activation ........ 5 EMS Lift Assist ....................... 1 Other ..................................... 4 Information Updates • Fire Station Project Update – Majority of the storm water piping has been installed; Owen’s Excavating has been able to install the piping into the storm sewer for the bioretention pond and will be installing and typing in the trench drains on the driveways as those get formed and the concrete is poured. All concrete aprons and door stoops have been completed, and site concrete is scheduled to begin in May. Site concrete will include curb and gutter, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. The exterior and interior doors continue to be installed, and the finish carpenters have installed most of the cabinets throughout the building. With the cabinets getting installed, the countertop contractor has been able to field verify measurements and the countertops have been ordered. Ceiling tiles have been installed throughout most of the building. There are some areas that will not be installed until all HVAC, plumbing, and electrical are completed and all systems have been tested to confirm they are functioning as specified.  Most of the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical contractors have been working in the apparatus bay to get their rough-ins completed and equipment installed. We continue to be pleased with the progress being made and Kraemer Brothers anticipates the building being substantially completed by August 2026 allowing the fire department to begin moving in August/ September 2026 with a grand opening/ribbon cutting and open house planned to occur on Monday, October 5, 2026 @ 4:00pm. • Operations – We are busy do inspections for the new food truck license program and liquor licenses. These have been going well and have found minor code violations. We have also begun our annual hose testing. We are required to pressure test every section of fire hose that we have on an annual basis which takes approximately 5 weeks to complete. We have nearly 20,000 ft of fire hose in total and have finished testing all hoses. Police Department Update: - Officer Eddinger will have his probationary status extended by 6 months. This extension is related to concerns with growth in the officer position. Monthly evaluations have been conducted, and he has been provided with additional training to assist him with his skills - Telecommunicator Mikayla Hollingsworth is interviewing with the Verona Police Department and Telecommunicator Ian Schulte has indicated that he will also be leaving in the near future.. If they obtain other employment, we will be operating with 3-4 full time dispatchers. This staffing level is not sustainable for 24 hour coverage. We have had meetings with the Sheriff’s Office and our IT professionals and determined that dispatch services for the City of Platteville would transition to FTSO from 11p-7a daily if we have four, or 7p-7a if we drop to three. - We had several officers attend training in April. Office Stowe attended Instructor Development, Lt. Knoernschild attended an open records training, Detective Hartwig attended the ICAC conference, and the members of SWERT attended a three-day training at Vortex. The City of Platteville participated in a joint feasibility study with Grant County to evaluate whether consolidating emergency dispatch services into a single, countywide Public Safety Answering Point would improve service delivery, efficiency, and long-term sustainability. This study was not initiated because Platteville’s current dispatch center is underperforming; in fact, the analysis confirms that the City’s dispatch operations are meeting performance expectations today. Rather, the purpose of the study was to determine whether a consolidated model could better position Platteville for the future of emergency communications, particularly as technology, staffing expectations, and service demands continue to evolve. Under the current system, Platteville maintains a highly local, service-oriented dispatch model that provides strong familiarity with the community, direct interaction with residents, and a 24/7 in-person presence at the police department. While this model offers a high level of accessibility and local control, it also operates at a smaller scale, often with a single dispatcher managing call- taking and radio traffic simultaneously. The study found that consolidation would transition Platteville away from this single-seat model into a larger, team-based dispatch environment operated through the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. In that model, at least two dispatchers would be on duty at all times, with a third added during peak hours, providing greater capacity to manage simultaneous emergencies, reduce workload strain, and align with national best practices for staffing. One of the most immediate and measurable improvements identified for Platteville is the elimination of 911 call transfer delays. Currently, most wireless 911 calls originating in Platteville are first routed to the County and then transferred to the City’s dispatch center, creating a delay of approximately 10 to 15 seconds before a dispatcher can begin handling the call. Under a consolidated model, those calls would be answered and dispatched directly from a single location, reducing response times and improving the speed of service during critical incidents. In addition to faster call handling, consolidation would provide Platteville’s police, fire, and EMS personnel with expanded access to shared technology, including a unified computer-aided dispatch system and improved real-time information sharing across agencies. This increased situational awareness enhances coordination during multi-agency responses and contributes to improved responder safety in the field. From an operational standpoint, consolidation would shift primary dispatch responsibilities from the City to the County, significantly reducing the need for Platteville to staff and maintain a fully independent dispatch operation. However, this does not eliminate the City’s role in providing public-facing services. Platteville would retain full authority to determine how it wishes to handle front desk operations, non-emergency calls, and in-person service at the police department. The study notes that maintaining a 24/7 lobby presence, reducing hours, or transitioning to a more administrative model are all local policy decisions that can be made independently of the consolidated dispatch structure. Additionally, the Platteville facility could serve as a backup dispatch site, provided targeted upgrades are made to ensure it can function effectively during system outages or emergencies, thereby strengthening overall system resilience. Financially, the analysis indicates that consolidation results in minimal net impact when viewed across the entire system, with an estimated difference of approximately one percent over a ten- year period. For Platteville specifically, costs associated with dispatch operations are expected to decrease as staffing and infrastructure responsibilities shift to the County, while the County absorbs the additional personnel and operational costs required to support the consolidated center. The availability of state grant funding may further offset transition and implementation costs, potentially making consolidation more favorable over time. Ultimately, the decision before the City of Platteville is not whether its current system is effective, but whether a different model would better serve the community moving forward. Consolidation offers clear advantages in terms of faster 911 response, improved staffing resilience, enhanced technology, and stronger coordination across jurisdictions. At the same time, it represents a shift away from a fully local dispatch model and requires thoughtful consideration of how the City maintains its commitment to accessibility, community presence, and customer service. The study demonstrates that consolidation is both feasible and operationally beneficial, but the final decision rests on how the City balances these benefits with its priorities for local control and service delivery.  - Will motioned and Deb 2nd to adjourn the meeting at 5:50pm. Unanimous. Respectfully Submitted, Josh Grabandt Chief of Police