Answering the call

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The township board unanimously agreed Monday night to continue getting their dispatch services from the village through 2009.
After both governing bodies? committees approved the agreement two weeks ago, the village council took action last week, making a few minor changes that officials from both sides said were ‘not substantive.?
The action of both the board and the council should end a long negotiation session. The Review first reported the discussion of a new agreement last December.
‘It’s substantially what the township proposed to the village,? noted Trustee Matt Gibb of the final agreement. ‘We are a unique community and we need to support each other and work together.?
The contract calls for the township to pay the village $79,800 this year (or $6,650 per month), $90,000 in 2008 (or $7,500 per month) and $99,600 in 2009 (or $8,300 per month).
The increase for 2009, however, is contingent on the completion of proper training by the village dispatchers, which both the township fire chief and village police chief must approve in writing. If the training is not completed the monthly rate will remain $7,500 until it is.
‘I don’t have a great deal of enthusiasm for it, but I see the need to have it in place,? Fire Chief Jeff Key said of the agreement. ‘It seems like an awful lot of money for what we get.?
Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Orion Substation Lieutenant Bruce Naile agreed that the cost was exorbitant, saying the county has better facilities and would come at a cost over $50,000 cheaper.
‘We were looking for a more customized service than what the county could provide,? Trustee Neal Porter said in response to Naile’s comments.
Porter, who served on the township’s committee, said the village dispatchers know the lay of the land better than a county dispatcher would. He also noted that the township is getting something out of the deal too.
‘They don’t get all their increases until they provide the proper certification,? Porter said.
Village Councilman Mike Toth addressed the board, saying it was improper for the township to be debating the contract at this stage, as both committees had already agreed to it in principle.
At the request of Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk, Toth said the village would be more than happy to meet and review the situation every six months, as opposed to waiting until the end of the contract in late 2009.
‘I’m not thrilled about paying twice what we could be paying,? Dywasuk said, adding that he agreed to the deal in the spirit of compromise. ‘I hope we could get some of our other issues resolved now.?

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Township officials are examining the most recent fire dispatch agreement offered by the village and could come to a decision by the end of the month.
‘There are expectations on the part of the village that we come to an agreement sooner rather than later,? said Trustee John Garlicki.
Garlicki was part of a committee that met formally with the village on March 29. He said he has had an informal discussion with Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel since then on the issue.
The township offered to pay a 15-percent increase as a counterproposal at that meeting.
‘There was some discussion in meeting the village’s original request of 30-percent,? Garlicki said, noting that dispatcher training and certification would be among the requirements if such an increase were implemented.
Under a 30-percent increase, services would jump from under $70,000 in 2006 to $90,000 this year. The proposal also calls for a five-percent increase in subsequent years, bringing the total in 2009 to nearly $100,000.
The township does have other options they could look into if they determine the village’s price to be too steep.
‘If we went to the county, we could get it done for $30,000 a year,? Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said.
Garlicki said it was the desire of the township committee at the March 29 meeting to complete the dispatch agreement along with a pair of other items.
‘We were hoping to concurrently achieve some sort of agreement on not only the dispatch, but also the hydrant issues as well as a metering issue on the #1 fire station,? he said.
The village, on the other hand, has expressed their wish to complete the dispatch agreement first and then proceed with the other items.
‘It’s basically come to our attention in the last week or so that the hydrants ? since it’s been an ongoing issue for the last 10 years ? is something that we’re probably not going to be able to achieve a quick agreement on,? Garlicki said. ‘But we’re going to give it one more college try.?
‘There’s a lot of history to the hydrant issue,? he added, saying it’s a situation that needs to be dealt with soon.
The committee of Garlicki, Dywasuk and Trustee Neal Porter is scheduled to meet next Monday and should report back to the board by April 30.
‘I think we’ll be prepared to come back to the board with some definitive action next meeting,? Garlicki said.

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