On August 30, the Pleasant Prairie Village Board assessed options to address the financial and staffing challenges in keeping pace with the growing demand for Public Safety services driven by development and population growth within the Village. At the meeting, staff presented the current challenge and need for an additional twelve (12) Firemedics and four (4) Police Officers to maintain the Village’s accredited public safety programs. Staff also outlined policy alternatives including: maintaining the status quo, imposing budget cuts and service reductions, identifying additional sources of revenue, and partnering with surrounding jurisdictions.
“We continue to evaluate a way forward to meet Public Safety demands, provide quality service, and manage service delivery in a cost-effective manner,” said Nathan Thiel, Village Administrator. “We look forward to engaging with the community on this topic and bringing the best solution forward.”
Now that the Options Assessment is complete, the next steps towards addressing staffing needs will be to engage community members to review and evaluate these options, and provide feedback to the Village. For the next several weeks, Village Staff will meet with community leaders and organizations to discuss the challenge at hand, and refine and develop a preferred set of options. The Village will also work to conduct a community-wide survey to determine resident preferences for addressing public safety challenges.
Over the past several years, the Village Board and Village Staff have evaluated public safety staffing needs. Specifically, in 2019, McGrath Consulting conducted a third-party review of the Fire & Rescue Department. After an extensive internal review of the McGrath Report and other public safety needs, the Village in April 2021 hired Mueller Communications, a Milwaukee-based public affairs and communication firm experienced in working with municipalities on public education and community engagement. The firm has helped Village Staff assess the current challenge and develop potential solutions.
The Pleasant Prairie Options Assessment can be found
here.