The disparity study currently being conducted for the city of Pensacola should be done by the end of June. Originally, the study was to wrap up in May.
“Our hope is to present that to the council during the July meeting,†said city spokesperson Travis Peterson.
Peterson attributed the delay to difficulties in the local interview process.
“Based on what the MGT folks have told us, they have had some difficulty scheduling and getting those interviews done,†he said.
The city contracted with MGT of America, Inc. last year to conduct the study. The Tallahassee-based firm is exploring the city’s disparity issues.
“There’s just an extensive amount of work that is required to get one of these done,†said Reggie Smith, an MGT partner.
Smith explained that the study had multiple phases: identifying the relevant market, a legal revue, collecting antidotal information, surveys of local businesses, analyzing the private market. He said there were more than a dozen aspects of the study.
The MGT partner said the delay was because the firm had been having difficulty getting in touch the local business community.
“We have experienced some, I guess you could call them delays, in getting business owners to participate,†Smith said. “We normally experience delays, this is nothing unusual.â€
Smith felt confident that the study would be done—in full—by the end June.
“We will not deliver a study that is not complete, that is not accurate and legally defensible—that’s what we do,†he said.
Peterson said the city expects to be looking at the study by July.
“That’s the plan and the hope,†he said. “—we just want to make sure we’re getting everything we paid for from the city’s perspective.â€