The Kokomo Common Council put the ball back in the county’s court Monday, passing a resolution agreeing to the merger of the city and county emergency dispatch operations.
After a contentious 45-minute session, several council members reversed earlier indications they’d table the resolution and passed the measure unanimously.
That means the onus for creating a consolidated 911 dispatch center now rests with county officials.
The consolidation recommendation is the creation of the Citizens Consolidation Committee, a board of 12 city and county appointees.
After three months of meetings, the committee decided it will be possible to save city and county taxpayers about $700,000 a year through combining 911 services.
No one involved with the recommendation doubts saving that much money will require county officials to trim the 911 work force.
“You don’t get these kind of savings without some personnel changes, am I correct?” said Councilman Mike Karickhoff, R-At Large.
“We didn’t make a specific personnel recommendation because we believe that’s up to the people familiar with it,” replied Isabella Chism, the CCC’s chair. “It’s not our place to micro-manage; it was our place to make broad recommendations.”
The 1-1⁄2-page resolution passed Monday simply states the city council’s support for the CCC’s recommendation: that the dispatch operations should be turned over to the Howard County Sheriff’s sole control, and that all 911 fees collected from local phone bills be used exclusively to fund the service.
Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight urged council members to pass the resolution, despite several members indicating they wanted more time to consider it and learn about the CCC’s recommendation.
“The [committee] has had eight or nine meetings. The council has had every opportunity to speak up, to address the committee and to put their ideas in front of the group,” Goodnight said when Councilman Kevin Summers, R-At Large, suggested tabling the measure during the pre-council public caucus. “This council chose not to attend.”