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Study recommends consolidating police services
(by Sali McSherry - March 17, 2010)
Study recommends consolidating police services
By SALI McSHERRY
Consolidating police and dispatch services for Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, Orange and Pepper Pike is recommended in a study conducted by Baldwin-Wallace College and released publicly Tuesday.
The study of the potential sharing of services is to be discussed next month after council members in each community have a chance to review the material.
Based on the financial and operational data that were obtained for the study by the researchers, there would be significant benefits to consolidating police and dispatch services, both in terms of service levels and cost reductions, according to the executive summary. The report was researched and prepared by Phil Bessler, Pierre David and Mary Pisnar, of the Baldwin-Wallace College business division, as well as student-researchers Michelle Chomyk and Patrick Miltner.
Currently, Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills and Orange use Chagrin Falls emergency dispatch services and have their own police departments. Pepper Pike has its own communications center and police department. Chagrin Falls also provides dispatch services for Bentleyville, Chagrin Falls Village, Chagrin Falls Township, South Russell and Woodmere.
A regional solution would favor a dispatch center in a single location for all nine municipalities, according to the study.
The cost for Pepper Pike to contract with Chagrin Falls dispatch would be about $148,000 annually, according to the study, saving about $400,000. Currently, Chagrin Falls handles just over 35,000 calls a year, with a budget of $592,387 and an average cost per billable call of $16.82.
If no staffing changes were made, the total cost would remain the same but would be spread over about 47,000 calls. The average cost per call would decrease to $12.61, the study says. Based on data from the National Emergency Number Association, the staffing level at Chagrin Falls would likely remain the same, according to the study.
Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills and Orange each could decrease their cost for emergency dispatch services to between $19,000 and $26,000 if Pepper Pike contracted with Chagrin Falls. Costs for the other municipalities would go down as well, the study says.
If Pepper Pike became the dispatch center for Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills and Orange, the city could save about $260,000, but the costs for the other three communities each would increase to between $36,800 and $49,000. The cost per call would be $24.83 per call, according to the research.
Currently, the total costs of the police departments in Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, Orange and Pepper Pike are about $6.3 million, with a total of 56 officers, according to the study. Options could include a full collaboration into a single unit with 10 officers per shift, or nine officers per shift, with a savings of from $600,000 to $1.2 million. Coverage would be separated in four zones, one in each municipality, with one police chief for the cooperative department.
The study discusses proposed staffing levels and said that each police department provides a "level of service that is unparalleled." The ratios of police officers to the population are very high compared to surrounding communities. "Not only are they visible throughout their communities, but they provide all manners of help to residents when needed" and offer "concierge services," a level of service that is a distinguishing characteristic in each community, according to the study.
The results of the fire and emergency services are less definite. There are benefits to an expanded collaboration in terms of a reduction in response time in emergency medical dispatch, according to the study. But additional cost savings only would be obtained by outsourcing fire protection to the Chagrin Falls Suburban Volunteer Fireman's Association and/or converting Pepper Pike's full-time fire department model to one similar to Orange's part-time model. Hunting Valley and Moreland Hills currently contract with the Chagrin Falls Suburban Volunteer Fireman's Association.
The study discusses four options. One would be creating a virtual, three-location fire service without any organizational changes. Communities would be redefined into zones with Pepper Pike, Orange and Chagrin fire departments responding according to the shortest driving distance. A second option would be making the current Orange fire station a second location of the Chagrin Falls Suburban Volunteer Fireman's Association and a third option would integrate all three departments into one system. A fourth option would be to convert Pepper Pike's full-time staffing model to a part-time staffing model.
The service departments of all the communities, which currently provide garbage collection and streets and other maintenance services, would benefit from a consolidation in terms of labor costs.
One option would be to consolidate into one service department under one director and an assistant director. Communities could consider consolidating backyard garbage pickup, or curbside garbage pickup, which would be the most economical.
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