By Ronica Shannon
A new interlocal agreement concerning a countywide consolidated 911 dispatching system is scheduled to go before the commission for acceptance at its next regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m., pending agreement from all parties involved, according to city attorney Garrett Fowles.
The city’s 911 board met Wednesday to look at a new draft of the document that is a result of the commission’s recent decision to consolidate.
However, the commission’s decision to join depends on its satisfaction with the new interlocal agreement.
Board members, including Fowles, Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock, fire chief Gerald Tatum, commissioner Rita Smart, Richmond Finance Director Mike Broyles and Interim City Manager Jimmy Howard, had a few minor changes to recommend, but nothing that would drastically change the content of the new agreement.
One new addition to the interlocal agreement includes language describing why Richmond decided to join the E-911 consolidated system, and the benefits that will be a result of the consolidation.
“... the parties have evaluated the existing capabilities of the ... joint dispatching service and the individual dispatching services of Richmond, as well as the anticipated needs and demands for delivery of these services in the future, ... the parties have concluded that combining the existing joint dispatching services with the dispatching services of Richmond will promote safety, efficiency, cooperation, future grant funding and the overall performance of dispatching services in their jurisdictions.”
The new agreement also outlines Richmond’s initial financial commitment needed to pay for merging its technology with the existing E-911 system, which is an estimated $116,380.
However, Howard said he was overestimating that cost to $150,000 to make sure that any unforeseen financial obligations are covered.
Howard said Wednesday that Richmond’s merge with the E-911 system would eventually save the city an estimated $500,000 annually.
Much debate has surrounded the issue of Richmond’s representation on the E-911 board, and the original interlocal agreement between Madison County and Berea, created on May 22, 2007, said board representation would be based on the population of each entity involved.
However, Madison County EMS Director and E-911 board chairman Carlos Coyle told members of the city’s 911 board at a meeting in December that the language about population would be removed so that representation would be equal among the county, Berea and Richmond.
“I don’t think it’s us versus them,” Tatum said at Wednesday’s meeting. “I think everybody’s on the board for the same cause.”
Brock also said he was comfortable with how the city of Richmond will be represented on the E-911 board.
Some of the new technology that will be available as a result of the 911 merge would be an upgrade for the city’s fire department, Tatum said.
It previously was reported that the current E-911 system could not accept Richmond into their operation until the city begins collecting its recently increased landline phone tax of $3.50.
It could take three to six months for the city to begin collecting this fee, but the commission has the option to agree to absorb any initial funding until the fees begin to be collected.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@ richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
