For more than 20 years, local officials have sought to implement a central dispatch for Schenectady County, and it appears they won’t have to wait much longer.
The Schenectady County Legislature on Tuesday, July 10, unanimously approved entering into an agreement establishing a centralized dispatch system, which would house all dispatchers in one building at an undetermined location. The Schenectady City Council already approved the new plan, so the towns of Glenville, Niskayuna, Rotterdam, Duanesburg and Princetown would need to approve it, too.
Plotterkill Fire Department Chief and County Fire Advisory Board Chairman John Tobiassen was pleased to see the agreement progressing after years of discussing it.
“This has been a long time coming,” Tobiassen said. “It has been really difficult to come to the consensus that you have reached tonight.”
During Tropical Storm Irene, he said a dispatch system became overwhelmed with phone calls. He said the current localized dispatch system couldn’t handle the calls but a central dispatch would eliminate the problem.
“I’m hoping that each subsequent municipality will become part of this program,” Tobiassen said. “This is the way that it needs to happen. It is a matter of public safety.”
The approved plan does provide for two different scenarios — with or without Glenville.
Glenville’s current Republican administration has sparred with county officials over the terms of the agreement in recent years, claiming the town would bear an unfair amount of the cost and questioning projected unguaranteed savings. Last August, county officials said the central dispatch plan was moving forward without Glenville.
The county and Glenville, though, appear to have reached an agreement after concessions were made by both sides.
“I think the county has addressed many of our concerns; not all, but many,” Glenville Supervisor Christopher Koetzle said. “I am ready at this point to endorse the proposal. … It is time to go forward as a county to make the best system possible.”
Koetzle said he received the new proposal on Friday, July 6, and town officials reviewed it over the weekend and recently met with public safety officials in the community.
“It has been a long process. Over the years, I think we have made this a better product because we have pointed out some concerns,” Koetzle said.
The plan is estimated to save the city $195,000, Glenville more than $160,000, Niskayuna around $115,000 and Rotterdam nearly $160,000. The towns of Duanesburg and Princetown would pay a flat fee annually that increases annually for the first four years.
Once Glenville is removed from the equation, the savings drop, with the city receiving $77,000, less than half of what it would have, Niskayuna lowered to around $80,000 and Rotterdam saving about $110,000.
County Legislator Anthony Jasenski, D-Rotterdam, said although the savings without Glenville aren’t as great, it would still be worth pursuing. Jasenski said he was “hopeful” Glenville would support the agreement.
The cost sharing percentage would remain flat among Schenectady (46.91 percent), Glenville (19.74 percent), Niskayuna (14.16 percent) and Rotterdam (19.19 percent) for the first four years. Upon the fifth year, the cost sharing would be reevaluated based on figures from the first four years.
Koetzle said he doesn’t like the methodology of spreading cost but was pleased to see the county is willing to give it a second look after implementation.
“If you wait for a perfect solution from the government, you will be waiting a long time, so we are going to go with the best option we have,” Koetzle said, “and I think working together as a county is the best option we have.”
Jasenski said having one dispatch center allows for information to be known by all parties in an emergency situation.
The county has pushed to reach an agreement after receiving a $1 million grant from the state to implement the plan, but funds are set to expire in March 2013.
Without the grant money, the county would completely fund construction of the Unified Communications Center or the rental cost of the center. Also, there would be $560,000 in dedicated 911 surcharge revenue from the county. The county would also provide up to $143,000 in transitional funding to maintain necessary staffing levels.
“This represents more than a $4 million investment,” Jasenski said.
Majority Leader Gary Hughes, D-Schenectady, said the public wants all the branches of government to work together to create efficiencies and solve problems.
“Those residents don’t much care which seats we occupy … but they want the people that are in those seats to figure out how to work together and make stuff happen,” Hughes said.
