[ back ]
Dispatch move may not capture big savings
(by Sali McSherry - June 16, 2010)
Dispatch move may not capture big savings
By SALI McSHERRY
In a preliminary report about whether Pepper Pike should keep its emergency dispatch center or contract with another municipality, consultant Thomas Lekan said the city must first undergo a "thorough financial analysis."
A quick analysis of cost savings is not enough, he said, given the responsibility of the safety forces and the general opinion by most municipalities that they should be the last to reduce service levels. Pepper Pike has cut five police officers due to the city's financial crisis.
Mr. Lekan was to discuss his report at last night's (June 16) City Council meeting.
While it initially appears the cost of outsourcing would save thousands of dollars, Mr. Lekan said, there are costs that haven't been delved into, such as the cost to transition dispatch and related services, unemployment costs and severance agreements.
Services that would have to be replaced would include prisoner monitoring, matron duties and housing prisoners in other jails. Alarm and school-camera monitoring, as well as a computerized messaging system to residents for emergencies, would have to be moved elsewhere or eliminated.
Pepper Pike's dispatch provides many services and assistance that cannot be duplicated through outsourcing, unless administrative services are maintained at the level they are today, which would result in very little, if any, savings to the community, Mr. Lekan said. The city spent about $540,000 last year on dispatch services.
Outsourcing to Chagrin Falls could cost about $150,000 per year, but there would be additional expenses, Mr. Lekan said, including the cost to provide for non-emergency services and inquiries to residents.
Because of the police-reporting system and other systems that require experience and training, Mr. Lekan said he would suggest keeping the lead dispatch person and at least one other trained person. That would result in an additional cost of about $150,000 to $165,000 in salary, benefits and pension contribution, he said.
The opportunity to outsource to Beachwood probably would not provide the savings that Chagrin Falls could offer, Mr. Lekan said.
It's important to delay any decision about the Chagrin Falls option until an issue on the November ballot to build a new police station is passed or rejected in that community, he said.
Should Pepper Pike contract with another municipality for emergency dispatch services, police would have to transport and house all prisoners in the Bedford Heights Jail, which would take an officer out of service for about an hour each time and leave only one officer on the streets to answer calls, Mr. Lekan said.
The monitoring of cameras at Orange schools would have to be moved elsewhere if dispatch were moved, he said, and the alarms that terminate at the police station would have to be moved to a central alarm station, at a higher cost to residents and business owners. Since many commercial fire alarms in the city terminate at the dispatch center, there would be a delay due to the way a central station operates and calls to an outsourced dispatch center would affect response times, Mr. Lekan said.
Pepper Pike receives about 45,000 calls per year, of which approximately 14,000 result in a call for service of police or fire. That leaves about 30,000 calls that must be answered or sent to an unattended voice-mail system, which some municipalities use during non-business hours, he said.
If the city contracts with another municipality, there will be no personnel at the police station in the late evening and early-morning hours to address anyone arriving at the station in need of help and there will be an increase of administrative duties for police and fire employees without the dispatch center, Mr. Lekan said.
While the Chagrin Falls chief dispatcher is "very knowledgeable and experienced," the center is not as modern as the Pepper Pike facility, he said.
Mr. Lekan said, based on his meeting with Beachwood, the city would be willing to assist Pepper Pike on a short-term basis to bridge the gap if the dispatch center is shut down. If Pepper Pike wanted a longer contractual arrangement, the mayor and police chief would need to meet with Beachwood officials.
The cost to contract with Beachwood most likely would be more expensive than contracting with Chagrin Falls, one reason being that Beachwood officials said they would need to add staff if Pepper Pike contracted with them. The Beachwood option would not include alarm monitoring, jail duties or monitoring of cameras, Mr. Lekan said.
[ back ]
