Are Local Governments Serious About Saving Money?

Published 5/20/13

For the past several years many counties and cities have been centralizing their nine one, one dispatch call centers. The city and Clinton County have shown little serious consideration of looking into the feasibility. One party or another offers a minor objection and the idea is buried. Turf Protecting?

The city did recently apply for a grant to study the possibilities but when the grant was denied the conversation ended.

Some years ago I was in contact with a consultant who would have made a presentation to local authorities for no initial charge.  I also contacted the director of the then newly formed Urbana-Champaign County central dispatch and he stated that after initial costs had been absorbed significant saving would be realized.

As reported in the Dayton newspaper 5/19/13, “Facing huge costs to convert their emergency dispatch centers to the latest technology several Greene County localities are moving to abandon the centers and merge. These moves are expected to save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Noted that Greene County has much larger population than Clinton.
Appended 5/22/13:
I was misinformed concerning the grant. The grant was awarded but it appears that the parties that applied for it are now separating themselves from the concept. In my opinion, based on observation and the history of the issues involved, there will not be any meaningful result and the money might be wasted.
Paul Hunter

Paul Hunter