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Agreement Closer on City-County Emergency System: Plan for One Department Could Be in Place By July.

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Cindy Larson, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Apr. 11--Possibly by July, a plan could be in place to merge city and county communications departments, which answer 911 calls and dispatch emergency personnel.

City and County councils have been pushing the merger for more than two years, believing it would create efficiencies and savings.

The issue appeared to be dead 16 months ago, when city and county officials couldn't justify a merger or agree to a plan. At that time, they told the councils a merger would save between $70,000 and $100,000 a year.

Not willing to take no for an answer, the councils kept revisiting the issue, and Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York and Allen County Sheriff Jim Herman again found themselves in front of both councils Monday night.

Both have submitted proposals that are nearly identical, but with a key difference. They agree that a board representing both the city and the county would appoint a director over the combined communications department. York has even said he doesn't care if the department is part of the city or the county. However, he wants the director of the department to report to the board. Herman wants the director to report to the sheriff.

"What I need . . . is just an insurance policy," York said. He wants to ensure the city police chief and fire chief have input into policies, procedures and protocol.

Herman believes the director should report to him, rather than a board. "The folk who elect the sheriff expect to be able to hold him accountable," he said.

Both men said they believe an agreement could be worked out, and Herman said he has some new ideas -- "other possibilities that may be even more palatable to the city."

He thought an agreement could be worked out by the end of the year.

That was too long for City Councilman Sam Talarico Jr., R-at large. "I'm not waiting another year and a half," he said.

Both York and Herman agreed to try to have something worked out by July.

Asked about the $100,000 savings that was talked about more than a year ago, York said he wasn't so sure that was the case anymore. The city is seeking a $500,000 appropriation to hire nine new dispatchers -- which has raised the ire of some council members.

County Councilman Cal Miller -- who has no oversight over city budgetary matters -- grilled York on the need for nine new dispatchers. York said the city has operated at the same level of staffing for 15 years, adding,

"It's becoming an officer safety issue with us."

The south channel on the radio system is getting so congested with calls that sometimes an officer will press the button on his or her radio and not be able to speak with a dispatcher, York said. To alleviate the congestion, the city would like to add another channel, which would require three dispatchers to cover each of three shifts, nine in total.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

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