The Cleveland City Council on Monday delayed voting on a new 911 Communications agreement.
T
he motion to remove the four-year 911 Communications agreement from Monday’s agenda began with At-Large Councilman George Poe who stated he wanted the city of Cleveland to establish it own communications center.
“I’m not in favor of that.
I will not support putting more money into it,” he said. “I still think we need to find a way for the city to have its own 911 center.”
At-Large Councilman Richard Banks said he wanted two more weeks to see how the new agreement differs from the existing agreement, since the changes are not “red-lined”
“I’m not sure I would vote ‘no’ on it, but I’d like to have a little more time to look at it to see how this differs from our present agreement,” he said. Continuing, Mr. Banks said he would like to use the agreement as a “tool to reach out to Bradley County because we have a duty to protect the citizens of Cleveland and make sure their money is spent wisely.”
The Bradley County Emergency Communications District is jointly funded by Bradley County and the municipalities of Cleveland and Charleston and is often regarded by public officials as the pinnacle of cooperation between the three local governments.
Bradley County Emergency Medical Services Director Danny Lawson and chairman of the 911 Communications Board said the district seeks to maintain the same level of service in the face of increased demand on emergency services.
“It’s something that’s important and we need to work together on it and I know that you’ll consider it that way,” Mr. Lawson said in his comments to the Council.
911 Director Joe Wilson said the board of directors worked several months to arrive at what he described as a good agreement “that will allow us to continue to provide top-quality communications service for the community.”
The total amount required from the county and the city of Cleveland shall not exceed $550,000 each for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016 and shall not exceed $650,000 each for the fiscal year beginning July 1,2017. The total amount required from the city of Charleston shall not exceed $11,090 for the fiscal year beginning July 1,2016 and shall not exceed $13,090 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017, according to terms of the agreement.
The agreement ends in 2020, but there are options to extend the agreement through fiscal year 2024.
The communications center is staffed by 21 dispatchers, three supervisors and one NCIC personnel. The staffing level remains constant over the next four years, but one dispatcher would be added during each of the four option years.
The agreement would make changes in the funding formula for 911 communications, and would be based on audited numbers. The five dispatcher positions in place now would remain for the next two years and one would be added in the third year. A fourth position would be created in the fourth year. Their salary increases would be based on the average of city and county increases of the previous year. Cleveland would contribute an additional $100,000 next year.