By Steve Huszai, Daily Record

WOOSTER, Ohio — As times continue to remain tight for local governments, leaders in Wayne and Ashland counties looked at a way to save money by consolidating services — through dispatching.

Discussions started between the cities of Wooster and Ashland, and Wayne County, early in 2011 to commission a study be done on the issue.

The study was released in November after data collection and analysis was complete.

The Consolidated Dispatch Center Feasibility Study was performed by Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Center for Public Management.

“This is something we have been working on for about two years now,” said Mayor Breneman.

After data was collected, three primary scenarios were released in the study.

One scenario has Wooster, Ashland and Wayne County; one has those three, plus Rittman and Orrville PSAPs; and one has the previous PSAPs, along with the Ashland County Sheriff’s dispatch center.

The basic idea behind the scenarios is simple — the more villages and fire departments that enter into a regional dispatch equals more cost sharing opportunities moving forward.

Wayne County Administrator Patrick Herron said entities served by Wayne County dispatch were sent letters that the issue was being investigated. He noted another letter was sent after the study was completed and distributed to the primary stakeholders.

The cities of Ashland and Wooster, along with Wayne County’s split the cost of the study.

Currently, there are three PSAPs, or public safety answering points, in Wayne County: Wayne County (out of the Justice Center), the city of Orrville and the city of Rittman.

At the Wayne County dispatch center, the county and Wooster mostly split the costs of dispatching services, despite serving several other communities.

The money from Wooster’scomes out of its general fund.

While consolidated dispatch centers exist across the nation, the study used the four located in Ohio as case studies: The Chagrin Valley Regional Communications Center in Chagrin Falls; the Metropolitan Emergency Communications Center in Gahanna; Regional Emergency Dispatch Center in Massillon; Westshore Central Dispatch Center in Westlake.

The study also reviewed several other questions, such as legal authority, possible sources of funding and/or governing models, and potential labor issues, and several more in the 148-page document.

Wooster Fire Chief Rob Eyler said (concerning the Wayne County dispatch center’s model) between the loss of state funds squeezing the city’s coffers, the expected loss of 9-1-1 wireless funds at theof 2012 would further reduce funds available for dispatching services.

“The reality is the current model is not sustainable,” Eyler said during at the November meeting of stakeholders from both counties.

Eyler, who has advanced discussions on the issue since a 2009 talk with Ashland’s fire chief, noted the conversation of a regional dispatch center serving Wayne and Ashland counties has been off and on with five PSAPs.

One glaring concern amongst the chiefs and officials in attendance was the assumption in the study whereby villages or fire departments that previously did not pay for dispatch services now have to pay.

For instance, a table within the study estimated costs for all Wayne County entities. Apple Creek, as an example, is listed as paying nothing for dispatching its police, fire and EMS services. It is served by the Wayne County communications center.

Under the first scenario, Apple Creek would pay an estimated $20,593; $15,732 under the second scenario; $14,235 under the third scenario.

Some of the discussion at a recent Wayne County commissioners meeting centered on whether fees should be charged based on population or per call.

Capt. Charles D. Hardman of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said the formula to determine dispatching contracts has been around for many years, and it does not contain any call-for-service data.

“We’re looking at trying to reach out to all of the other subdivisions and explain to them what this study is all about it,” Hardman said. “Then, all of the entities can discuss a formula and how a regional dispatch center would be governed.”

Namely, how would it be operated and what would the fee structure look like.

“Everyone who will be a part of it will sit at the table,” Hardman told the commissioners.

Eyler added, as also noted in the study, things such as capital costs for a dispatch center may yield initial start-up costs, but are more easily managed with more buy-in.

Establishing a viable form of governing, financing/fee structure and administering a regional dispatch center across the two counties were also topics of discussion.

Wooster Mayor Bob Breneman insisted on a “drop-dead” date, when PSAPs would need to declare whether or not they wanted to join a regional dispatch center moving forward.

It was agreed March 31 would be a date when PSAPs needed to declare their intentions.

The study has been released on the city of Wooster’s website. Already, smaller communities in Wayne County have not been receptive of the numbers after letters were sent out from the commissioners to local cities and villages.

Smithville, among others, believes the estimates are too high.

“I know we are probably not paying enough (for dispatch), but this seems exceedingly high,” Mayor Allen Snyder said. “We have to try to influence that number one way or the other.”

The mayor said Smithville uses the Wooster dispatch center at the Justice Center. It pays roughly $1,000 a year for dispatch services. But in the letter from the commissioners, it states the village would need to pay a projected $37,318 annually, beginning in 2013, should a regional dispatch center move forward.

In the mayor’s state of the village address, Snyder told council members the village needs to look at its dispatching costs rising in the coming years.

In the meantime, committees were established to continue discussions on establishing a fair system for governing a dispatch center, disseminating the study and educating various entities on the discussions thus far, and setting up discussions with the other PSAPs in the region.

Early in January 2012, the Wayne County commissioners extended dispatching services contracts for one year, as opposed to the typical three years, based on the consolidated center initiative.

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