PRESENT: B. Blanchard, P. Penniman, G. Totman, M. Lane, T. Joseph
EXCUSED: C. Evans
STAFF: R. Erb, County Administrator; J. Hanson, Planning Commissioner; W. Skinner, Public Information Coordinator; J. Miller, L. Shurtleff, Fire, Disaster and EMS; P. Meskill, Sheriff; J. Wood, Deputy County Attorney
GUESTS: D. Kiefer, Board of Representatives, K. Lansing, D. Robertson, Village of Cayuga Heights Police Department; L. Withiam, E911 Operations Committee Chair; L. Gifford, E911 Operations Committee; T. Drake, J. McMullen, A. Boone, Motorola
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting opened at 12:00 p.m.
ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO AGENDA
None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was Moved by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Mr. Penniman and unanimously adopted by voice vote of members present to approve the July 25 and August 22, 2000, minutes as submitted.
REPORTS AND UPDATES
Mr. Withiam said a packet was distributed to the committee that includes the operations plan, organizational structure and relationship between all of the entities in the plan, and a timeline for the project (this packet is on file in the Board office). He said the one item that was not included in the packet was the police procedure manual. Mr. Robertson stated that the third draft of the police procedure manual has gone out and some minor adjustments need to be made. He stated he hopes to have the plan completed by October 11 and said it will be a basic platform of procedures for dispatchers to operate under in a police environment and will be blended with the other fire and EMS procedures
Mr. Withiam said there has been some discussion on how to put the plan together and noted the County's internship program may be asked for assistance. He noted that the E911 Operations Committee adopted a resolution that supports the move of the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office and the Ithaca Police Department's dispatchers to the Green Street location on a temporary basis as well as a request for additional personnel.
Mr. Lansing stated that there have been concerns about how the consolidated dispatch center will be put together and the resolution allows for agencies to make the transition in the current space so that concerns can be resolved before the move into the new center.
Mr. Withiam said that an adhoc training committee has been formed to identify all of the required training for the E911 communications center and Mr. Shurtleff will be helping with this. He said this will provide standardized training for all dispatchers.
Ms. Blanchard noted that the packet of information would need further discussion once it is thoroughly read. She said that everyone involved in this effort has been working to provide better communication throughout the 911 community. She said this is a very difficult project to pull together due to the number of people it impacts, but it was evident at the last E911 Operations Committee meeting that everyone has put aside personal issues working together at this time. She stated the packet that was distributed represents a huge amount of work and thanked Mr. Lansing, Mr. Meskill and the others involved in bringing it together so the Committee can move forward with the project.
Ms. Blanchard stated that since the initial discussion began about consolidated dispatch there have been discussions about holes in staffing at the sheriffs department and the resolution addresses that and will need further discussion at budget deliberations.
Mr. Joseph said that the organizational structure piece in the packet outlines the pros and cons well and makes a good argument of keeping dispatch center part of the Fire Coordinator's operation. He noted that the organizational structure does not need to match the physical structure and both the Fire Coordinators' office and the dispatch center do not need to be co-located. He said that cost is a big factor and he has a hard time justifying moving the Fire and Disaster offices to the new center on South Hill. He said the various options for the center still need to be looked at. He said he believes the South Hill location is the best location for the 911 center, but would like to look at the option of building a 911 center there and leaving the Fire and EMS offices where they currently are. He said the original rationale to bring the two together was to provide supervision over the dispatchers, but the more it is examined he is convinced that a director or coordinator position will be created, and that person would provide supervision over the dispatchers. He would like to look at all of the costs. He said that if the County was just beginning its 911 operation and did not have a Fire Coordinator it would make sense to put the two operations together, but since the County is not in that position, the current space for the Fire Coordinator is adequate for their purpose.
Mr. Withiam said that the E911 Committee looked at putting the two operations together because the airport has indicated that they wanted the Fire Coordinator out of it's space and also because the operation and maintenance of the system has been difficult because of the separate locations.
Mr. Joseph stated that he would like to see the costs associated with combining the two operations versus two locations along with the advantages of each. Ms. Blanchard stated that she would ask County Engineering to provide an analysis of the costs along with different sites.
Mr. Lane said he understands the concept of centralized dispatch including the Fire and EMS office, but noted it is more expensive. He said he has serious concerns about the South Hill location and does not know that this is the best site to use.
Ms. Blanchard said the E911 Operations Committee is working on the organizational structure and once this is complete it will provide an understanding of the structure as well as how the structure works.
Ms. Kiefer said that she did her own analysis of the matrix and the numbers are closer together than originally thought. She said she views county owned property as such regardless of how the airport feels.
Ms. Blanclhard said the evaluation of the matrix will be refined, but there is a need to understand and decide on staffing and the administration of the center. She stated she will have a working sesssion on the matrix to address concerns.
Mr. Joseph commented that one of the issues mentioned in the historical background related to locating the facility next to an elected official. It also talks about the disadvantages of having the facility run by the sheriff which is much more straight forward. He stated it may be more appropriate to say that the facility can be located next to, but not operated by the elected sheriff.
Mr. Wood stated that the timeline for centralized dispatch would need to run parallel to the communications project since it will affect the RFP.
Resolution – In support of the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Ithaca Police Departments Request for Additional Personnel (this resolution is on file in the Board office).
Mr. Meskill said that the resolution supports moving the Sheriff's Office and Ithaca Police Department dispatchers to the current Green Street location on a temporary basis. This will allow a transition period for those individuals who will work together in the new center and modifications to be made before the move. He stated that the resolution also supports additional staffing in the Sheriff's Office and the Ithaca Police Department to offset the move.
Ms. Blanchard asked who would be involved in the move. Mr. Miller stated that it is proposed that there be four call takers per shift. This will allow for an accurate assessment of what the call load will be with the new center. Five dispatchers from the Sheriff's Department plus staff from the Ithaca Police Department will be moved. He noted that the employees will not be Sheriff's Department or IPD employees, they will be County employees. Ms. Blanchard said that the City has indicated that they will send funding for their dispatchers, not necessarily people.
Mr. Lansing said that the move is a great opportunity and shows the people involved are willing to take extra work in less space in order to make centralized dispatch come to fruition.
Mr. Joseph asked how many dispatch consoles are at the Sheriff's Department. He also asked if the call load could be handled with the present staff. Mr. Meskill stated he currently has one console that works well and one that has limitations. Mr. Miller said that the only way to find out if the call load can be handled is to try it. He said it is unknown how much radio traffic there will be. Mr. Miller stated the console would not be removed, as the Sheriff needs to talk to his employees via that equipment.
Mr. Joseph asked what function the Sheriff's Department will have once dispatching is moved out. Mr. Meskill stated that a time study has been done in his department and he would like to have three people replace those individuals leaving, but will take two. He said this might need to be adjusted. He said he also had one clerical position that was in the 2001 budget that was reduced and he would like to reinstate that position back to the original proposal on a permanent basis, along with adding two deputies. The clerk position that was approved at the committee level will be postponed until a later date.
Mr. Joseph asked how a Sheriff's employee moves to a County employee. Mr. Meskill stated that the dispatcher's pay was made equal to a fire dispatcher last year and lateral transfers can be done to move the employee.
Ms. Blanchard said she would like the Committee to support the resolution with the understanding that staffing recommendations will be made at budget time.
It was Moved by Mr. Totman, seconded by Mr. Joseph and unanimously adopted by voice vote of members present to support the concept of creating a temporary consolidated dispatch center with the understanding that the details will be worked through in the budget process.
COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Mr. Hanson said that three of the consulting firms that responded to the RFQ were interviewd. Those interviewed were SSI, Concepts, NYSTEC. He said each firm gave a one-hour presentation with emphasis on their technical field of knowledge and their approach to the Tompkins County program. He said that all of the presentations were good and the consultants are equally matched. He said at the last meeting of the interviewing group a poll was conducted and no one firm stood out above the others and it was decided that more background information was needed. This information is being obtained and a meeting will be held October 2 to match the background information and expertise of each firm to what the County wants to do and also prepare a recommendation for the COMCAP Committee. He said that all of the consultants interviewed indicated the County should continue with its site work and that the County is headed in the right direction.
Mr. Hanson said that Mr. Benjamin has put in place a very aggressive schedule for the project and in order to stay on schedule it may be necessary to have a special COMCAP meeting to approve selection of the consultant.
Ms. Blanchard reiterated the importance of staying on schedule and scheduled a meeting for October 10, 2000 at 11:00 a.m. to hear the report on the consultant selection and award the contract.
Mr. Joseph asked if fees were discussed. Mr. Hanson stated that discussion was not led in that direction. The consultant will be hired and then the scope of work will be discussed.
PROJECT STATUS REPORTS
COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT
Mr. Hanson said the project is moving ahead. He noted that the consultants who were interviewed encouraged the County to proceed in the direction it has been going in and said the County is not off course. Mr. Hanson said the next step will be hiring the consultant and finalizing a contract. He said the timeline is very tight and the consultant will need to begin quickly so the RFP process will be on schedule. Once the RFP is set then the County will be in very good shape.
Ms. Blanchard cautioned that to stay on schedule the consultant contract will need to be awarded and the consultant will need to begin work quickly. She stated the Committee needs to have an idea on the scope of work to move the process along before the consultant is hired and that the scope of work will need to cover everything. She asked that any material that is available be distributed as soon as possible.
Mr. Wood stated that the consultant will need to analyze the current system and tell what alternatives are available as well as make a recommendation on those alternatives. Once that is done the rest will be put in an RFP.
DOT RELOCATION
Ms. Blanchard announced that $3.85 million dollars has been allocated in the Transportation Bond Act for the DOT relocation. She stated that the money is contingent on the passing of the Bond Act.
Mr. Hanson said that the State has been working with the County since the very beginning of this project and it makes sense for everyone involved to make this project work. He stated that the next step is to get the bond act passed and then finalize the location for the move. He said information and maps were sent to the Town of Dryden and the Town of Dryden adopted a resolution stating they want to work with the County to find a site for he DOT in Dryden. He said that the County has forwarded a copy of the State's criteria for site selection to the Town and the County has asked the Town to forward a list of suitable DOT sites.
Mr. Lane stated he hopes the Bond Act is passed and noted that the County will know if it does within six weeks.
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER PLANNING
Ms. Blanchard stated that this topic was covered in Mr. Withiam's reports earlier in the meeting. She noted that the County's Capital Program has included $700,000 for 2001 for the communication project to move forward with the planning process and there will also be enough money to cover the first-year payment on a bond. She said the Capital Program also has $1.5 million for the consolidated communications center.
NEW BUSINESS
None
OTHER BUSINESS
Mr. Lane said the Committee approved the optioning of sites and at that time he did not favor that action. He said he is still troubled by whether the County is going to buy or lease the sites and said he would have liked the negotiation process to have included the purchase of the sites instead of leasing. Mr. Lane said he believes the lease payments will far exceed the amount that could have been paid to purchase the land. He asked if the Committee could revisit this issue. Mr. Wood said that the County can make offers to purchase the sites, but none of the parties with the land were interested in this option.
Ms. Kiefer asked if the six options have been finalized. Mr. Wood stated that three have been completed. Ms. Blanchard asked if there are problems with the remaining three. Mr. Wood said that two sites are awaiting surveys and one had a few remaining questions. Ms. Blanchard asked if at such time as the County moves forward with building on the sites if offers can be made to purchase the sites. Mr. Wood said that this is possible, but noted in past discussions, none of the parties were interested.
ADJOURNMENT
It was Moved by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Mr. Totman and unanimously adopted by voice vote to adjourn at 1:13 p.m. The next meeting will be held October 24, 2000 at Noon in the Scott Heyman Conference Room.
Respectfully submitted by Jennifer Luu, Administrative Assistant, Board of Representative's office.