Bettendorf Council narrowly OKs consolidated dispatching
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By Kurt Allemeier | Friday, December 14, 2007 |
Scott County Administrator Ray Wierson addresses a joint meeting of the Scott County Board of Supervisors and city councils of both Davenport and Bettendorf on Wednesday at the Adler Room, Genesis Heart Center, Davenport. (Talya C. Arbisser/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo
A bit of drama preceded applause as the intergovernmental agreement to create a consolidated dispatching center for Scott County moved ahead on a split decision.
In a precedent-setting joint meeting Wednesday, the city councils of Bettendorf and Davenport, the Scott County board and the Medic EMS board approved the creation of the Scott Emergency Communication Center.
The Bettendorf City Council approved the measure 4-3, after the Scott County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the agreement and the Davenport council’s approval was nearly unanimous. The entire Medic board also approved the agreement.
Scott County administrator Ray Wierson called the votes “historic,” while Bettendorf Alderman Debe LaMar, 3rd Ward, voted against the measure because it was short on specifics. Scott County Board Chairman Jim Hancock, who has served on the board for 15 years, said he couldn’t recall a joint meeting like Wednesday’s.
Prior to Davenport’s vote on the issue, outgoing Alderman Keith Meyer, 3rd Ward, tried to engage members of the Bettendorf council on the issue but was called out of order by county board chairman Jim Hancock. Davenport Mayor Ed Winborn agreed and called for the vote. Meyer stormed out and his vote wasn’t recorded.
LaMar was the only member of the Bettendorf council to speak against the measure during the meeting. After the meeting, she said she was concerned that the agreement doesn’t offer specifics on how calls will be handled, is worried that dispatchers will lose the relationships they share with police and fire departments by being employed in the same building and that the costs of the communication center are more than what has been estimated.
“You have to have a leap of faith going forward,” she said. “I am going to push for the best interests of Bettendorf and its employees. I would’ve liked to have put the horse before the cart.”
Hancock said many employee concerns, like pay rates and benefits, are handled in the intergovernmental agreement.
“Bettendorf, Scott County and Davenport — we all feel strongly about our employee base and we are going to address any concerns,” he said. “There are always downsides to change, but I think we addressed many of the downsides, like salaries and benefits.”
Protocols that will define how calls are handled for each police department will be discussed and approved by a technical committee before approval by the SECC governing board, Winborn said.
Bettendorf Mayor Mike Freemire understood the split vote by his council and their concerns.
“Their concerns are definitely going to be addressed,” he said.
The SECC will have its own levy. Property owners throughout Scott County will be assessed an estimated 53 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation for the consolidated service. A study done in 2006 reported the cities and county would save $4.6 million over 20 years and increase levels of service.
Though a site for the dispatching center hasn’t been determined, the planned opening is 2010. The county has received $2.6 million for consolidated dispatch and hopes to receive part of $8 million the state of Iowa has received for equipping consolidated dispatching centers. The estimated cost of construction is $2.16 million, with first-year operation costs of $7.7 million.
Wednesday’s vote follows three years of study by a blue ribbon commission created to study sharing services among Scott County communities.
Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.
IN OTHER ACTION
The Scott Emergency Communication Center board went right to work after an intergovernmental agreement to create a joint dispatching center gained approval Wednesday night.
The board approved hiring a
consultant to assist with hiring a director and provide technical assistance, approved the salary range and job description for the director position and approved a committee to recruit a director.
The director’s salary range set by the board is $73,418 to $99,330.
Scott County Board Chairman Jim Hancock was elected chairman of the commission that comprises the county board chairman, Bettendorf and Davenport mayors, a mayor chosen by caucus of mayors of smaller cities in the county and the chairman of the Medic EMS board.
Davenport Mayor Ed Winborn will be the shortest-serving member of the board. His term as mayor ends December 31. Also on the board are Bettendorf Mayor Mike Freemire, Long Grove Mayor Jack Hill, and EMS chairman Jerry McCormick.
The contract for the consultant is $12,000 for six months, including $9,000 for salary and $3,000 for travel expenses.
HOW THEY VOTED
Bettendorf city council:
Lisa Brown, At-large: no
Tim Stecker, At-large: yes
Norm Voelliger, 1st Ward: yes
Joe Douglas, 2nd Ward: yes
Debe LaMar, 3rd Ward: no
Patricia Malinee, 4th Ward: no
James Stewart, 5th Ward: yes
Davenport city council: Everyone voted yes except Keith Meyer, 3rd Ward, who did not vote.
Scott County Board of Supervisors, unanimous, yes
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