This year, Orion Township paid the Village of Lake Orion nearly $70,000 for fire department dispatch services.
That amount represents a consistent three-percent increase over each of the past five years.
But Fire Chief Jeff Key said he was surprised by the new contract, which calls for an immediate 30-percent increase and an additional five percent increase in each subsequent year.
‘It is our opinion that an increase of this magnitude is both excessive and unwarranted,? Key said in a memo to the township board.
The new contract, yet to be agreed upon, calls for an annual amount of $90,000 in 2007.
‘I would like to see some justification for a 30-percent increase for dispatch,? Key told the board at their Dec. 4 meeting, when the new contract appeared on the agenda.
The board postponed the item to Dec. 18, directing the fire chief to speak with the village manager in the interim and report back then.
‘I see no reason why we can’t sit down with the village and get this done,? Key said.
The first step in that process took place on Dec. 7, when Key and Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk met with Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel.
‘They just gave us some rationale for the increases,? Dywasuk said.
Van Tassel put together a detailed list of rationale for the township, noting that the Fire Department has been under-charged the past five years. Among the items addressed:
*The dispatch agreement currently in effect was based on the 1990 Census figures, and there was a 40 percent increase in population from 1990 to 2000.
*When the current agreement was signed, the Fire Department had two full-time first responders and three fire halls, where today there are six full-time responders during the day, two at night and four fire halls.
*While wage rates have been held to modest increases, often below the rate of inflation, the costs for pension and medical care have increased substantially.
*In addition to the population increase, there are more subdivisions and commercial projects currently under construction in the township. Plus the population is aging, which usually means more medical calls.
*Based on a study done by dispatchers, 40 to 50 percent of their time is taken up with Fire Department related matters. More medical emergency calls are being handled each year.
In addition to these items, Dywasuk added that he would like to see a specific breakdown of dispatch calls by type.
‘Another one of the questions that keeps coming up is that the township hasn’t gotten into Advanced Life Support,? Dywasuk said.
Dywasuk said that he and Key would sit down again to go over all the information they received from the village. He noted that the item might not be prepared by the Dec. 18 meeting.
At the Dec. 4 meeting, the board briefly discussed other dispatch options, including the county, Oxford and Rochester Hills, but Dywasuk said it is all but certain an agreement will be reached with the village.
‘We’re very happy with the dispatch results and that’s the key,? Dywasuk said.
‘All we want to do is make sure we’re paying our fair share on this thing.?