Published on June 21st, 2022 📆 | 6700 Views ⚑
0County commissioners say better technology, savings reasons for dispatch center consolidation
The ongoing conversation to consolidate emergency dispatch services in Lincoln County continued last week with three public meetings.
Troy, Libby and Eureka each hosted what the county commissioners termed âconversations.â
The issue been a major topic in the county for many years, but the commissioners said changes in technology and increasing costs are reasons why consolidation is needed.
âI know there are passions in this room on both sides of the issue and there are long histories with dispatch in all three towns and they are to be commended for all of the work theyâve done over the years,â said Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2).
Bennett said there are only three counties left in Montana that havenât consolidated dispatch operations and he said Lincoln County was the only one to have three.
âIt costs nearly $900,000 to operate and the model of having small independent centers presents many challenges and wonât keep pace with evolving community needs and revenue,â Bennett said.
Saving money is a point of emphasis for the commissioners.
âPublic safety in the county, any county is the largest part of a budget and right now, ours is nearly $7 million,â Bennett said. âThe cost savings has to come from somewhere.â
The commissioners want to save money because of the desire to build a new county detention center, which could result in more costs to county taxpayers. Bennett said estimates for a new detention center are about $20 million.
âTaxpayers in Troy are spending $400,000 for the dispatch center and thatâs money they donât need to be spending,â Bennett said. âThat district was put into place because there was nothing else available at the time.â
A loss of jobs and the money that supports the Troy economy was also mentioned.
âAt least $150,000 will be lost from this community if Troy doesnât have a dispatch center here,â resident Mike Dowdy said. âThat money gets spread around to many businesses and the loss of a job here is a big thing.â
Bennett said dispatchers from Troy would have the opportunity to work in the new center.
Troy resident Bonnie Larson acknowledged that âthings change. Iâm sure itâll be one center someday, but I donât support it now. Iâd hold onto autonomy for as long as possible.
âI also think it would be important to have people from all communities work there,â
Steve Allen, a Troy Dispatch board member, asked Bennett about the time frame for a new dispatch center and where it would be located.
âWe first need to complete assessments which will determine what it will cost,â Bennett said. âHopefully we get that done by the end of summer, but until itâs done, we canât make any decisions. This is one of the reasons we are having meetings, to share this information with everyone.â
Bennett said the new center could be located in Libby, but that decision hasnât been made, yet. In terms of when it will be done, Bennett said in November 2021 that the commissioners expect consolidation to happen within three to five years.
Bull Lake resident Kimberly Mole, who has been an outspoken advocate of a one dispatch center in the county, spoke at Wednesdayâs meeting.
Mole has sought reform of the Troy Area Dispatch after making a 911 call during an attempted break-in on her property. To her surprise, she learned that personnel in Troy had to first transfer her to a different dispatch center to handle law enforcement calls outside of city limits.
While safety and response time were her primary concern, she also argued that as a county resident near Troy, she paid taxes toward multiple dispatch centers.
âWhy are Troy District county residents paying for two dispatches, especially when one isnât benefitting us,â she asked commissioners.
The transmission of calls was also talked about and whether new technology would work to relay calls from the Troy area to Libby.
Gene Rogers, a member of the Troy Dispatch Board, said he didnât trust that new technology would work.
âFiber optics werenât available then, but with it, itâs much better technology now,â Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short said.
Commissioner Brent Teske said fiber optics are being used in places a lot more remote than exist in the valley.
âIt has to be consistent, it has to work,â Teske said. âThe last thing we want is a failure.â
Troy resident Bob Rice echoed Rogersâ concerns about calls being dispatched through the canyon.
âWeâll do our due diligence to make sure it works,â Bennett said.
Gloss