Four years ago, a citizens committee called the continued funding and
operation of the town’s 911 dispatch center “senseless and irresponsible” due to
the fact that its services mirrored those provided by Oneida County.
But
nothing changed after that group’s 2005 report.
Now, as the town finds
itself scrambling to cut costs amid a financial crisis and a plummeting bond
rating, the issue again is being considered: Can the town continue to fund its
own dispatch center?
Since 2000, the center’s cost has nearly doubled and
now makes up almost 5 percent of the town’s $15 million budget.
Last
week, New Hartford and county officials met to discuss the consolidation plan
once again, as the possibility of a 54 percent property tax hike for town
residents looms.
Utica and New Hartford are the only municipalities in
the county that still have their own call centers. The county established its
center in 1995.
County officials said they hoped to meet with Utica to
discuss absorbing its dispatch center soon.
“I strongly feel that Utica
should join New Hartford to start a comprehensive study,” town Supervisor Earle
Reed said. “I think this could be a real win-win.”
But concerns
persist:
* Consolidation could increase Oneida County’s dispatch costs by
$1 million, which raises questions about whether the effort would result in true
savings for taxpayers or just a shift in costs. The endeavor’s financial
viability depends on getting payments from both municipalities, and also levying
a new 30-cent per month fee on all cell phones in the county.
“When you
consolidate, it’s never without a cost,” said Al Candido, chief of staff for
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.
* Some town officials question
the public safety impacts of consolidating the center with those in Oneida
County and Utica.
New Hartford Dispatch Supervisor Jeff Madden said he
was concerned the quality of service would go down.
“It’s just making
sure the level of service is there for the emergency responders and the public,”
he said. “When someone calls, is someone going to answer them
quickly?”
More calls, higher costs
In New
Hartford, the push for consolidation comes following revelations that the town
burned through almost all of the $2.8 million in its main savings account over
the past four years.
As officials look for ways to cut costs, the New
Hartford center, which includes six full-time and 12 part-time dispatchers, will
cost taxpayers about $656,820 in 2010. That’s more than double the $317,000 cost
in 2000, town figures show.
Town resident Debbie Alessi said she
supports the idea of New Hartford consolidating the service to address financial
concerns.
“Because New Hartford has been standing alone for too long,”
she said.
But Madden said costs have risen during the past decade as the
number of calls skyrocketed due to increased development in the town.
In
2008, the most recent year for which figures were available, about 70,000 calls
came in to the town center — an increase over 42,000 in 1998, he said. That led
the town to add another full-time dispatcher in 2002, as well as some part-time
employees, Madden said.
But the vast majority of calls are not
emergencies. Of the 70,000 calls handled in 2008, 911 calls accounted for just
5,245, or 7.5 percent, figures provided by the town show.
Dispatchers
pass calls along to the codes and public works departments, as well as the
police and fire departments. In addition to emergencies, calls include issues
such as flooding, fallen trees or downed electrical wires, Madden said.
He said he’s concerned a merger could negatively impact dispatch
service.
“I don’t want to say I’m against any mergers,” he said. “I’m
open minded to anything for efficiency, but I’m opposed to anything that’s,
‘It’s costing us too much, and we want to save money.’”
“You’re not going
to save money unless you cut the level of service,” he said.
But Candido
spoke of “economies of scale” and said work flow could be analyzed and staff
could be trained to handle multiple tasks.
“You’re going to utilize the
pool of people there in the room to handle what comes in,” he said. “One
jurisdiction could be quiet when another is busy.”
Costs
Picente said he prefers the plan move
forward with consolidation talks with both Utica and New Hartford on board.
Candido and Picente estimate that incorporating Utica and New Hartford’s
calls into the county’s center in Oriskany 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.
If all three parties agree, it
still could take as many as two years to merge the three dispatch centers,
county officials said.
All residents in Oneida County pay a 35-cent
surcharge to support the county dispatch center as part of their monthly phone
bill. County officials have said that if a merger took place, they would charge
a new fee to Utica and New Hartford, but not to the municipalities that already
use the county center.
Charging the other municipalities wouldn’t be fair
because they haven’t had to pay in the past, and Utica and New Hartford
previously made decisions to keep operating separate centers, Picente
said.
Utica Mayor David Roefaro said he was concerned about that cost –
especially when the county also hopes to raise money through a new cell phone
surcharge that would require state approval.
Roefaro said he would look
at any opportunity for consolidation, but the plan has to be fair, provide equal
or better services to city residents, and save money.
“If there’s going
to be a cost, then what is the point of that consolidation?” he
said.
Reed, however, was unfazed by the possibility of a fee.
“I
never thought the county was going to do it for free,” he said.
Even if
New Hartford had to pay, consolidation still could bring savings, he said.
“I think it’s all part of the negotiations,” he said. “The bottom line
is, if this works out with the county and the city of Utica, I think there could
be substantial savings for New Hartford, even with the fee.”
The
president of the state 911 Coordinators Association agreed.
Consolidation
of call centers can improve public safety, while also reducing overall costs by
increasing buying power for the frequent technology upgrades that are necessary
and decreasing the number of staff or administrative positions needed, said John
Merklinger, who also is the director of the Monroe County 911 center.
“In
the end, there’s no doubt that there’s savings,” he said.
For Utica,
consolidation also could mean more police officers and firefighters on the
street because Utica’s center is always staffed with two police officers and one
firefighter, officials said.
“I’m for the consolidation of the 911 center
as long as the level of service does not go down,” Utica police Chief Daniel
LaBella said.
What’s next?
Some New Hartford
residents think consolidation already has been held up for too
long.
“It’s totally redundant,” Russ Cerminaro said of the town dispatch
center. “We don’t need a 911 center because what we are doing is duplicating
what the county is doing.”
Cerminaro was one of four people who sat on
the 2005 Citizens Review Budget Committee that studied if a need existed for
eliminating the town dispatch center.
The group determined that the town
could have nearly identical dispatch service at no increased cost to residents
by using the county system.
New Hartford Town Board members would not say
whether they would back consolidation. They did, however, express support for
studying the issue.
“This has always been there as a possible
consolidation, and I think it needs to be reviewed and studied,” board member
David Reynolds said.
Board member Christine Krupa said the town would be
reviewing the question.
“The pros would be saving money; the cons would
be whether the calls that are not emergency be adequately covered,” Krupa
said.
Board member Rich Woodland said he thought the issue should go
before the public for a referendum.
But Reed said he didn’t think
so.
“What are political people for? To make some hard decisions,” he
said.
One of the two town supervisor candidates — Democrat William
Morris II and Republican Patrick Tyksinski — ultimately could be guiding the
town on this issue.
Both men said they were open to studying the
consolidation, but would have to analyze the issue before making any final
decisions.
“If in the course of an overall budget review that becomes a
way we can save money without compromising public safety, then we will take a
look at it,” Morris said.
“I think everything has got to be looked at,”
Tyksinski said. “You have to really dig into that and see if it’s
worthwhile.”
Town resident William Thomas, 88, said the philosophy of
consolidating seems to make sense right now for New Hartford – depending on the
details of how it could best benefit the three entities.
“It’s a matter
that needs consideration,” he said. “It’s not cut and dry.”
