FeedsCity saves with new dispatch contract
The City of Plymouth has reached a tentative agreement with Plymouth Township to continue joint 911 dispatch operations through 2011.
At a Plymouth City Commission meeting Monday night, Mayor Dan Dwyer announced the Intergovernmental Communication Agreement to allow the Township of Plymouth to answer and respond to 911 dispatch and emergency calls for City of Plymouth residents.
The agreement also continues the relationship between the municipal police departments allowing Plymouth Township to lock-up and transfer Plymouth-held suspects to Wayne County Jail.
The contract will become binding once the Plymouth Township Board of Trustees approves it during a public meeting next month.
Dwyer describes the new contract as essentially a continuation of the current agreement the city and the township have followed for the last 10 years. The only major difference is the price. Plymouth Township agreed to accept a flat rate payment of $225,000 in 2007 with a 5 percent increase each following year.
The change will save the City of Plymouth money while still providing emergency dispatch service for residents.
“We replaced a really complicated and convoluted formula with a very straight-forward pay scale,” said Dwyer who negotiated the deal with Plymouth Township Supervisor, Richard Reaume and a team of elected officials and public safety leaders from each municipality.
While Reaume said the city share of the cost of the department is closer to $275,000, he realizes both communities are better when they work in synergy.
“Plymouth Township and the City of Plymouth will have at least two dispatchers available 24 hours a day,” said Reaume. “ We wouldn’t have agreed to the compromise if we didn’t think it was a good deal.”
Dwyer agrees the Intergovernmental Communication Agreement is a good deal, but he thinks there could have been a better one.
Dwyer was in serious negations with officials from Northville Township about combining their system with the City of Plymouth and Plymouth Township. The merger would have combined the dispatch resources of four municipalities since the City of Northville is already a partner in the Northville Township dispatch network.
Dwyer said Plymouth Township officials killed the idea because of disinterest.
“A regionalized dispatch agreement with Northville Township would have been best but with that being said, I’m not going to kick over the deal we have with Plymouth Township,” said Dwyer. It’s a good deal.”
