FLOYD COUNTY — The county is all in, now it’s the city’s turn.
Tuesday night, members of the Floyd County Commissioners and Floyd County Council unanimously approved an interlocal agreement to merge city and county dispatch centers. The agreement will now move on to the city council and mayor for approval.
“I think it will save money in the long run and will provide better services to the citizens,” said Commissioner Steve Bush.
Both city and county officials have been looking at combining the centers for months. A group recently visited Hendricks County, which combined four centers into one and saved thousands.
“This decision was not made without research,” said Mark Seabrook, president of the commissioners. “We went to Hendricks County and it [dispatch center] was pretty awesome.”
Under the agreement, there would be a five-member board which would oversee the communication’s center consisting of the mayor, sheriff, and presidents of the city council, county council and commissioners. They would also have an advisory board.
The merger will also help offset equipment upgrades which have to be in place by 2014, along with cost savings in other areas including more than $1,000 a month in phone bill costs, said Floyd County Sheriff Darrell Mills.
Currently, Floyd County employs 12 communication workers compared to 14 on the city side. While no employees will lose their jobs, some positions would be eliminated through attrition.
“We won’t be getting rid of people, but through attrition we will be able to operate with a lot less,” Mills said. “I think it will streamline services and will better serve the residents.”
The city spends about $800,000 annually on its emergency communications service, according to New Albany Mayor England. Bush estimated the county’s cost for 9-1-1 dispatch to be between $200,000 and $300,000 a year.
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