Wednesday, April 12, 2000
Campbell open to consolidation
One emergency center enough
BY Ray Schaefer
Enquirer Contributor
SOUTHGATE — Leaders in Campbell County seem willing to consider consolidating three emergency dispatching centers into one, but they have lots of questions.
About 35 government officials and emergency service workers heard a presentation Tuesday at the Southgate Community Center. The report by GeoComm Corp., a St. Cloud, Minn., consulting firm, recommended combining the Newport, Fort Thomas and Campbell County centers into one to be housed at the Newport City Building at 10th and Monmouth streets.
The report stated that Newport, Fort Thomas and the county could save more than $50,000 a year by combining their centers to cover a population of about 85,000.
“Campbell County is very well positioned to successfully implement a countywide, consolidated operation,” said Paul Linnee, the GeoComm vice president who prepared the report. “Most areas we work with are not.”
Newport City Commissioner Jerry Peluso had several questions himself.
“There's start-up costs,” Mr. Peluso said. “You need to consider the yearly operating expenses. Is the response time going to be there? Are there dead spots where your dispatch center isn't heard?”
Campbell County Commissioner Roland Vories said he has to first know what Newport is going to do. Fellow Commissioner Dave Otto said officials have known for four years that consolidation is a good idea.
“I personally don't think it's a hard sell,” Mr. Otto said.
Newport and Fort Thomas dispatches their own police, firefighters and ambulances; and the Campbell County Police Department covers the rest of the county.
Mr. Linnee said the logical solution is to expand Newport's center because it is the largest, best-equipped and most modern of the three.
The county pays for its dispatching center with tax money and fees it charges the cities it covers. Newport and Fort Thomas residents pay for both their own and the county's systems. Mr. Linnee said a $2 monthly countywide 911 surcharge on telephone bills could pay for a consolidated center and raise just over $1 million the first year. A reduction to $1.50 a month after that would bring in about $760,000 a year.
“If we can see we can provide more complete service at a lower cost, it has to be beneficial to our residents,” Fort Thomas Mayor Mary Brown said.
Operating a consolidated center would cost about $1.2 million. Upgrading the equipment would cost about $500,000, and Mr. Linnee said savings that a consolidated center would provide could pay for the upgrades.
Mr. Linnee's recommendations also included:
•Making a consolidated center independent of the three governments so dispatching is not perceived as part of the Newport Police Department.
•Hiring a professional manager to run the operation.
•Adding enough dispatchers to have at least three on duty at all times and one who primarily answers fire calls.
•Training dispatchers to give callers emergency medical instructions until rescue personnel arrive.
Campbell Fiscal Court and the various city governments would have to approve consolidation.
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