Tracy Brannstrom
MONTPELIER — The Montpelier City Council took several actions affecting the police department in July, including hiring a firm to recruit the city’s next police chief, purchasing two patrol vehicles, and approving a five-year contract for Tasers.
The city will spend about $40,000 on a nationwide search for its next chief, and has hired JW Consulting from Arlington, Vermont, to recruit, screen, and help interview candidates.
The contract includes $30,500 for recruitment services, $6,500 for travel expenses for finalist candidates, and up to $3,000 for travel by the firm’s staff.
City Manager Kelly McNicholas Kury recommended JW Consulting over a lower-cost bidder because the firm specializes in recruiting law enforcement leaders. It recently conducted executive searches for police departments in 11 Vermont municipalities, according to its proposal to the city.
As of late July, McNicholas Kury said she meets weekly with the recruiters, who have begun interviewing police department staff members and others. She said interviews with councilors, community leaders, business representatives, service providers, and school district officials are being organized, and she expects to assemble a “well-rounded” interview panel to help inform her selection.
The city will pay for the contract using surplus money in the general fund and salary savings in the police department budget resulting from several vacancies, she said.
Since May, four officers have left the department, including Chief Eric Nordenson and Deputy Chief Kevin Moulton, all of whom joined the Northfield Police Department.
Councilor Jim Sheridan said he would prefer to hire from within the department for the chief position, both to avoid spending money on a nationwide search and because an internal candidate would already be familiar with Montpelier and its challenges.
“They know the community, they know the norms, the culture, they know the players, they know the ‘bad guys,’ so to speak,” Sheridan said. “We need someone who knows this community already.”
McNicholas Kury said one internal candidate has expressed interest in the position.
Councilor Ben Doyle said he supported hiring the recruitment firm regardless of whether the city selects an internal or external candidate, because the search will legitimize the overall process.
“We just really have to get this right,” he said.
Council Approves Taser Contract
Fifteen years after deciding against Tasers, the city council approved a roughly $99,000, five-year contract to equip Montpelier police officers with the devices.
Rather than a one-time equipment purchase, the contract is a 60-month subscription plan that charges $90.99 per Taser per month for 17 devices. The city also added a two-day instructor course and virtual reality instructor certification.
Although the purchase was already budgeted as part of the city’s fiscal year 2027 capital equipment plan that voters approved in March, the council still had to approve the contract before the city could complete the purchase. It did so without discussion.
Montpelier Homelessness Committee Chair Zack Hughes said he had no objection to the purchase but would have preferred more public input.
In 2011, Hughes served on the city’s Taser Committee, which was tasked with making recommendations on adopting the devices for the police department. He said the idea drew strong public opposition, and the committee ultimately recommended against it.
Mayor Marc Gwinn said he supports the contract.
“I believe that we have fine officers with the right training. They are requesting the right equipment to do their jobs, and I think it’s important for us to not only give them the equipment that they need but also to let them know that we trust their judgment and we support them,” he said.
Electric Fleet Debate
The council also approved purchasing two new gas-powered police vehicles, despite questions from some councilors about how the purchase aligned with the city’s net-zero energy goals.
The roughly $94,000 purchase includes a 2026 Ford F-150 Responder and a 2026 Ford Police Interceptor Hybrid. Like the Taser contract, the purchase was already budgeted as part of the city’s voter-approved 2027 capital equipment plan.
The vehicle purchases revived a question the council first raised in April: whether electric vehicles could replace gas-powered patrol vehicles the city planned to buy.
McNicholas Kury said staff members found EVs could be a viable long-term option because of the department’s relatively small patrol area, but identified several hurdles, including keeping patrol vehicles in service while charging, cold-weather performance, whether the Department of Public Works has the equipment and training to service EVs, and the infrastructure needed to support an electric fleet. She told councilors that installing a dedicated level-3 charger at the police station is estimated to cost about $126,000.
Acting Police Chief Jeff Pearson said he does not support using electric vehicles for daily patrol because cruisers rotate through multiple shifts and need to remain in service. He said EVs would be better suited for administrative or specialty assignments, such as school resource officers or crash investigation units.
Some councilors pushed back on whether the city is moving quickly enough to meet its net-zero goals.
Although she acknowledged the police department needs new vehicles, Councilor Adrienne Gil said the city has been too slow to carry out its commitment to electrify the municipal fleet. Delaying further would mean nearly a decade had passed since the council adopted its net-zero resolution without meaningful progress, she said.
In 2018, the council adopted a goal of using renewable or offset energy for all municipal operations, including transportation, by 2030, and later policies reinforced plans to add electric vehicles to the city’s fleet.
“If we adopt policies but don’t budget for them, implement them, don’t explain why we’re departing from them, then what is the purpose of adopting these policies at all?” Gil said.
Councilor Ben Doyle pointed to energy-efficiency upgrades at the wastewater treatment facility as evidence the city has made progress toward its net-zero goals. Leadership transitions, the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated flooding have slowed the city’s broader net-zero efforts, he said
“I recognize we’re not moving at the rate at which we’d hoped,” Doyle said.
After approving the gas-powered cruisers, councilors and city officials said they expect to continue exploring how to expand the city’s electric vehicle fleet, though they did not outline a path forward.
