 |
|
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Emergency Telephone District Board Meeting MinutesSpecial Meeting
Chairman Allen L. Byam called the Meeting to order in the Law Library of the Marshall County Building at 10:05 a.m., noting a quorum was in attendance. Chairman Byam stated the purpose of this meeting was to receive an update on current discussions regarding the consolidation of E 911 service delivery and to consider if the E011 Board desires to revisit the recommendation made to the County Board of Commissioners regarding the telephone surcharge. As a matter of information, Chairman Byam reminded the Committee and guests that the previous Emergency telephone District Board Special Meeting held on September 4, 2007 the Motion was made and supported as follows: “Resolved by the Emergency Telephone District Board rescind its August 21, 2007 E 911 telephone surcharge recommendation* to the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners; and recommend the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners submit application to the Michigan Public Service Commission for an E-911 telephone surcharge based upon the five year state average revenue collection amount as presented by County Administration, equating to $..35 per telephone, with the understanding that the Emergency Telephone District Board shall revisit the surcharge each year prior to the April 1 deadline.” Voice Vote - Motion Carried (*The ETDB recommended the current 4% +2.7%at a minimum.) Mr. Ken Tsuchiyama and Jim Ritsema provided the Board Members with an estimated consolidated Dispatch Budget for the next five years (with the assumption that the State will continue to allow counties to collect surcharge - at this point in time, current legislation (approved in December) will sunset in February, 2009. In addition to the telephone surcharge, the Center will also receive funding from Albion, Battle Creek, Marshall and member of the AMSA general funds. Funding from these sources will be capped at the level which were contributed to the E911 operation in 2007. Consolidated Dispatch Pro Forma (created by Mr. Ritsema) indicates jurisdictions will receive no rebate the first and second year but will share $280,000 in rebates beginning with the third and continuing to the fourth and fifth years the center is in operation. (In the first two years entities will share $75,000 in savings based on radio fees (mic) that were previously paid through general funds.) Mr. Purcell indicated that the County has been paying for the Sheriff’s radios, mic fees and maintenance agreements from the surcharge. And, would request that this an expense that would be covered in the Inter-local Agreement when it is finalized. Mr. Miller indicated he believes this is one item that needs to have further discussion. He would like this matter tabled for further discussion at a later date. Chairman Byam indicated that this is but one of the issues that will have to be addressed at a latter date as we move forward in the process, and he appreciated Mr. Purcell bringing the matter up at this time. There was conversation concerning the expenditures for the Consolidated Dispatch as shown in the Pro Forma There also was discussion concerning the meeting dates for the various Councils and it was determined that the Marshall and Albion City Councils would be meeting on Monday, February 4th and would considering a Resolution for support, also the City of Springfield meets on February 4th City of Battle Creek meets on the 5th , AMSA will be meeting soon, and we have already received a letter of support from the Calhoun County Association of Fire Chief’s. It was suggested it would be helpful to have representatives from this Board on hand at as many of the Councils as possible to show support, If approved by all parties, the plan is to modify the current 9-1-1 plan and to create a Communications Authority which will be established by an Inter-local agreement which will need to be negotiated and ultimately approved by the governing body of each of the current PSAP’s. Mr. Purcell has prepared Resolution To Support a Reduced Telephone Surcharge Amendment for E 911 Services and Establish a Consolidated County-Wide Dispatch. After reviewing the proposed Resolution and discussion, Chairman Byam called for a vote on the Resolution as follows: Resolution To Support a Reduced Telephone Surcharge Amendment for E-911 Services and Establish a Consolidated County-wide Dispatch Center WHEREAS, 911 telephone services are vital to our citizens in need of emergency assistance, and 911 dispatch support is essential to the safety of our emergency response personnel, and WHEREAS, technology has changed and land lines, cell phones, and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) all dial 911 for service but are currently treated differently for county 911 funding purposes, and WHEREAS, Public Act 164 and 165 of 2007 provide the authority for the county board of commission to set the local surcharge rate assessed on all telephone numbers which will provide an equitable surcharge for all those potentially accessing E-911 service, and WHEREAS, surrounding counties have used this new legislation to increase their surcharge rate resulting in a higher telephone surcharge on its citizens, and we urge the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners to reduce rather than increase the surcharge at this time, and WHEREAS, Calhoun County currently has a surcharge of $0.65 per land line, and WHEREAS, this body has interest in establishing a consolidated centralized 911 dispatch center, since such a center would offer improved services to our emergency response personnel and our citizens requesting emergency assistance, and WHEREAS, a single dispatch center can offer increased efficiency and therefore long term cost savings to all units of government and taxpayers currently paying for dispatch, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Emergency Telephone Services Board requests the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners amend the Calhoun County 9-1-1 plan to reduce the telephone surcharge to $0.60 per land line, cell phone and VOIP device per month and assess this reduced rate among all telephone numbers, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Emergency Telephone Services Board hereby commits to the pursuit of a single dispatch center located in available space within the county building in the county seat which will offer a centralized location, improved services to our citizens, increased safety for our emergency response personnel, and long term savings for our taxpayers, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we recognize and support the allocation of $0.25 of the new telephone surcharge to be utilized by the County, working with the Emergency District Telephone Board and Public Safety Answering Points, to assist with planning, development, and implementation, and other allowable operational expenses of a consolidated dispatch center, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Emergency Telephone Services Board will pursue and work toward the adoption of an Interlocal Agreement with the cities of Battle Creek, Albion and Marshall, prior to July 1, 2008 for the purpose of the establishment of an independent Authority for 911 Consolidated Dispatch. The consolidated dispatch center will have a target completion and implementation date to be operating by January 1, 2009. Mr. Demarest offered a friendly amendment for the Resolution , in the
last paragraph of the Resolution, beginning with “BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED”....... CHANGING will
7 Yes - Motion Carried. This recommendation will be given to the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners to be considered at their February 7, 2007 at which time they will be adopting the county-based 911 surcharge on communications devices as permitted under P.A. 154 of 2007. (This Board is recommending $.60¢ per land line, cell hone and VOIP device per month and assess this reduced rate (from .65¢ to .60¢) among all telephone numbers. Next Meeting: February 19, 2008 The Meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m. on a Motion by Mr. Hankinson, supported by Mr. Tsucyiyama. Motion Carried.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Calhoun County Government
| Visiting Calhoun County
| Living in Calhoun County Calhoun County
Click here to contact the webmaster
at Calhoun County
Click here to report technical problems with this website,
This page last modified
08/03/05. DHTML Menu By Milonic JavaScript
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minutes Archive
Several photos included in this 
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |