The size of the staff may still be under discussion, but the effort to consolidate city and county dispatch operations cleared another hurdle Monday.
The Kokomo Common Council approved the combined dispatch agreement on a 7-2 vote, with council members Bob Cameron, D-2nd, and Kevin Summers, R-At Large, voting against.
Monday’s vote, along with Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight’s support of the measure and last month’s approval by the Howard County Commissioners, means the Howard County Council will have the final and deciding vote.
The county council vote, expected at either the Oct. 26 meeting or the Nov. 23 meeting, will decide the actual budget for the combined dispatch.
The budget — and in turn the number of dispatchers to be laid off — has been a constant concern for county officials since the Citizens Committee for Consolidation recommended a cap of $1.4 million.
That cap would save city and county taxpayers around $676,000 over current dispatch spending, but would also require the Howard County sheriff to lay off 10 dispatchers.
At a sheriff candidate debate last week, all three office seekers indicated they would be unable to run dispatch for the amount set by the CCC.
Monday, Nick Capozzoli, the county’s 911 coordinator, tried to convince city council members that the $1.4 million budget would lead to burnout and retention problems with the remaining employees.
With 10 fewer dispatchers, and no part-time dispatchers, dispatchers would be unable to take half-hour or hour-long breaks during their shifts, and scheduling problems would mount, Capozzoli said.
“We’re already fighting the overtime monster, and we would lose that battle [under the proposal],” he said.
Summers sought to table the resolution Monday, saying he felt a governing board “representative of the city police, the fire department and the local ambulances” would be better than putting the dispatch under the sheriff.
CCC member Dick Davis countered that argument later in the meeting.
“We train people to be managers and manage things, and we all know that management by committee presents problems,” Davis said. “Someone has to make the final decision.”
Summers’ motion to table the resolution failed, with Summers and Cameron the only votes in favor of tabling. The measure then passed by the same vote.
Goodnight said Monday he will sign the resolution.
“It’s something that’s been talked about for the better part of a couple decades, and I think it’s a good step for our community,” he said.
Under the CCC recommendation, if the county balks at running the dispatch for the $1.4 million figure, the city would then have the opportunity to run the dispatch instead.
So far, Goodnight hasn’t commented on that possibility.
“[The $1.4 million budget] was the recommendation from the committee, and that’s what everybody’s voted on, and that’s what’s planned for next year,” he said.