Brentwood has ‘no relationship’ with company state group says it partnered with, city says

By
Doug Miner
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9
134

The city of Brentwood received the services of a Brentwood firm at no cost in implementing GPS tracking devices in all of its public vehicles, according to the city.

According to the city deputy clerk the city has “no contract” with as well as “no relationship” with Geocompile, LLC, which the city partnered with in implementing GPS tracking devices in all of its public vehicles, according to the Missouri Municipal League, which awarded the city for the project.

See also: Brentwood wins statewide award; city partnered with company apparently owned by mayor

The company is owned by Brentwood Mayor Christopher Thornton, according to State records.

Brentwood’s deputy city clerk responded to a Sunshine request for public information from the city about any contract the city might have with Geocompile.

The exchange below occurred on Thursday by email:

deputy city clerk: Thank you for your Request for Public Records. Per your request, there is no contract with Geocompile, LLC.  Please let me know if you need additional information.  Thanks.

40 South: According to the Missouri Municipal League, which this year awarded the City for implementing low-cost GPS tracking devices in all of its public vehicles:

 “In June 2016, the City [Brentwood] implemented low-cost GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) tracking devices in all of its public vehicles. The city partnered with Geocompile, LLC, to develop a data collection and analysis system to analyze the data from the GPS units.”

If there is no contract, can I have an explanation of what the City’s relationship is with Geocompile? Is the city paying for the service from Geocompile?

deputy city clerk: Thank you for your additional question. Please let me know if you need additional information.

40 South: Thank you, Gina. Can I expect an answer?

deputy city clerk: Per your additional question, there is no relationship. Please let me know if you need additional information.

40 South: Gina, yes — what is being referred to here by the Missouri Municipal League, where it says the City is in a partnership with Geocompile?

40 South: Do I need to submit another Sunshine request?

deputy city clerk: As to the second question. The City has not paid Geocompile, LLC for any work.  Please let me know if you need additional information.  Thanks.

Mayor Christopher Thornton hasn’t responded to an April 20 email (to his city email address) asking about the city’s relationship with the company.

 

9 COMMENTS

  1. How could something that does not cost the city anything in
    $dollars still benefit the “partner”? For instance, if the city provides just data, it pays
    nothing to the firm but the firm may find the data quite valuable. Or if the city
    gives the firm permission to use its name in marketing it costs the city nothing in $dollars
    but the firm could gain some value from that. Etc.
    Of course if the city gets real benefits in return for these things then it may be a really
    good deal, but it all should be above board.

  2. I am so glad you are asking these questions. If people don’t pay attention things
    can happen like in Bell CA or Dixon IL. I am not saying at all anyone is dishonest
    but let’s make it hard to be.

    Brentwood is clear that there is no contract and no payment to the Mayor’s firm so far, but
    that does exclude other arrangements, with future compensations, monetary or other. That the firm did work “at no cost” — was that a quote from Brentwood or 40 South’s logical
    deduction? I guess I would like to hear it directly from the city.

    Of course, the word “partnered” triggered all this, so someone at City Hall does need to clarify that also.

  3. If there’s no contract and no “relationship”, how can the city claim they partnered with Geocompile? I’d like to know who wrote that blip to send to the MML. I’d almost be willing to bet that it was Mayor Thornton himself.

  4. So it seems he stole the data? No paper trail, does that make him innocent? So many questions to ask and Mr.Chris is not responding to them. Wake up lets go to meetings let’s make him accountable. Who pays attention? If you can’t make coffee or the meetings watch it on YouTube, we are letting him make these decisions for OUR city. Just wait until he borrows 20 or is it 30 no close to 40 million dollars for Manchester which is not a guarantee to fix anything. His term is up next year what happens then? Who wants to step into the pile of a legacy he leaves for our next Mayor.

    • I am real interested in seeing his disclosure form if he ever files it. Has he acquired any property on Manchester Rd knowing it was going to be re-developed? He has really been pushing hard for this project. His personal motives must be questioned now.

      • I’ve been wondering about his interest in that property. There’s no way it is financially beneficial to the city to spend $70M+ on that property. So who will benefit? And what reasonable person starts a project without knowing where all the funds will come from. The $43M borrowing only pays for about 60% of the project. Where do the rest of the funds come from? Are we going to get halfway into the project and run out of funds. Or increase taxes significantly to pay for the boondoggle that is half finished?

  5. So two questions need to be asked-
    1. Of Brentwood, what company is the city using for the GPS tracking?
    2. Of the MML, where did they get the information that Geocompile is the company that Brentwood is using for the GPS tracking?

    • If you take a look at the City’s check register from June 2016, it looks like a payment was made to US Fleet Tracking, LLC. Their registration with the state of Missouri claims that they “manufacture, assemble, sell and maintain GPS tracking devices that can be attached to a conveyance for tracking purposes”; however, their Missouri registration was dissolved in October 2017.

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