Frankfort Fire District Explores Hiring Consultant for Community Outreach, Potential Referendum

Article Summary: The Frankfort Fire Protection District is considering hiring a consulting firm to enhance its community outreach and gauge public support for a potential future referendum. Trustees heard a presentation from Discovery Works Collaborative, a firm that specializes in helping fire districts and other public bodies develop and implement ballot proposals by engaging with the community.

Community Outreach Proposal Key Points:

• Jennifer Volk of Discovery Works Collaborative presented a proposal for community engagement and referendum consulting services.

• The process would involve open houses, surveys, and communication campaigns to learn about community challenges and priorities.

• Interim Fire Chief Paul Kinsella noted the Lemont Fire Protection District had successfully used the firm for its own referendum.

• The board held an open discussion but took no formal action on the proposal.

FRANKFORT — As it navigates future financial challenges, the Frankfort Fire Protection District is exploring a proactive approach to public engagement by potentially hiring an outside consulting firm to lead a community outreach initiative.

At their June 17 meeting, the Board of Trustees heard a detailed presentation from Jennifer Volk, a representative from Discovery Works Collaborative. Volk explained her firm’s services, which focus on helping public entities like fire districts develop and implement ballot proposals by first learning about the specific challenges a district faces and understanding the community’s perspective.

The proposed process would be led by “Facilitating Teams” and would include extensive community engagement through open houses and data-driven surveys to define the audience and its priorities. This feedback would be compiled into a recommendation report for the district. Communication to the community would be handled through social media, mailers, and signage.

“Learn about the challenges facing the FFPD,” and “Get an understanding of how the FFPD functions,” were listed as primary goals of the initial engagement phase.

Interim Fire Chief Paul Kinsella told the trustees that the nearby Lemont Fire Protection District used Discovery Works Collaborative for its recent referendum and was successful. Kinsella also noted that he has a meeting scheduled for July 25 with the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois to discuss the identification of basic voter types, another step in preparing for potential future ballot questions.

Trustees held an open discussion about the factors involved in such a process. Board President Nicholas Spano thanked Volk for the presentation before she was dismissed from the meeting. No action was taken on the proposal.