New Hartford backs county 911 grant application

Board may vote soon to end New Hartford dispatch center

 

By ELIZABETH COOPER

Observer-Dispatch

Posted Mar 10, 2010 @ 09:27 PM

Last update Mar 10, 2010 @ 09:50 PM

NEW HARTFORD

The town has moved another step closer to consolidating its 911 dispatch service with that of Oneida County.

At its Wednesday night meeting, the board voted 3-2 in favor of a resolution supporting Oneida County’s application for a $600,000 state grant for the consolidation process.

Board members Rich Woodland and David Reynolds opposed the measure on the grounds that it could commit the town to the consolidation process before officials had enough information to make an educated decision about whether to support the move.

“I think there are an awful lot of unanswered questions,” Reynolds said after the vote. “What are the costs? What will it do to the county tax rate? What about the level of service?”

But Town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski and board members Don Backman and Christine Krupa said they did not believe the resolution committed the town to the merger and said it was important to move forward with the grant application.

“I don’t see any way this commits us to any definitive action,” Tyksinski said. “I can’t see letting $600,000 slip through our fingers.”

For years, discussions have taken place between the town, county and city of Utica about the merger. And in recent months, those talks have heated up.

As part of the county’s grant application, the county, Utica and New Hartford must pass resolutions in support of the plan. Utica’s resolution is in committee, said Al Candido, County Executive Anthony Picente’s chief of staff.

Tyksinski has been open about his interest in moving forward with consolidation, while Reynolds has consistently urged caution. Tyksinski has said he plans to bring a resolution at the next board meeting on March 24 to dissolve the town’s dispatch center.

If the consolidation moves forward as planned, New Hartford’s transition should be complete by the end of 2010.

The town will spend about $720,000 this year on its 911 center, mostly on dispatcher salaries and benefits, according to the county’s grant application.

Utica and New Hartford are the only municipalities in the county that still have their own call centers. The county established its center in Oriskany in 1995.

County officials have estimated that incorporating Utica and New Hartford's calls into the county's center could increase its operating costs by as much as $1 million. In 2009, the center, which fields more than 240,000 calls a year, cost $2.3 million to operate.

They also have said it's likely the county would charge a fee to Utica and New Hartford, though they don’t charge the municipalities they presently serve.

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