Although this happended over a week ago, I was not able to blog about it because of my involvement with Oktoberfest.
The idea tossed around the village halls for several weeks for it would be cost effective for the Washington County Sheriff's office to take over the dispatching duites of the Germantown Police Department. Although most think that the local dispatchers only dispatch 911 calls and answer phones, there are many other administrative and clerical work that are part of the job description that most are unaware.
At the board meeting the main message from the Village Board during a two-hour discussion Monday on a proposal to move dispatching services for police, fire and emergency medical services to the Washington County Sheriff's Department in West Bend. The board unanimously voted not to study the dispatch proposal as it would squander resources.
County officials approached Germantown leaders recently about the proposal during a review of shared services and possible budget savings. This is the third time consolidated dispatch has bubbled up to the discussion phase since 2004. The issue got as far as a drafted resolution in 2006, but ultimately was shot down by the Germantown board.
Many people weighed in on this via citizen output and were delighted when the vote came down and the idea was rejected.
Below is the complete article from Germantownnow.com
Germantown dispatching service to stay put
Board rejects chance to let county take over
By DAVE FIDLIN
Germantown - Maybe someday. But not now.
That was the prevailing message from the Village Board during a two-hour discussion Monday on a proposal to move dispatching services for police, fire and emergency medical services to the Washington County Sheriff's Department in West Bend. The board unanimously voted not to study the dispatch proposal.
County officials approached Germantown leaders recently about the proposal during a review of shared services and possible budget savings. This is the third time consolidated dispatch has bubbled up to the discussion phase since 2004. The issue got as far as a drafted resolution in 2006, but ultimately was shot down by the Germantown board.
Residents packed the board room, and nearly all of those who spoke implored village officials to keep dispatch in the community, under the auspices of the Germantown Police Department.
"We're talking about a vital service that we could relinquish to people who don't have a vested interest in our community," resident Kevin Nash said. "Who's going to gain from this? I don't think we will."
Most of the residents who spoke praised Germantown police and said the high degree of public safety services was an asset that drew them to the community.
"I fell in love with the police department when I moved here; they do a tremendous job," said resident Peter Sorce, who serves on the County Board. "Why destroy something that's working for us?"
But one resident encouraged Germantown officials to at least look further into the issue with an eye toward saving costs amid ongoing fiscal constraints.
"This would not even be a cut in service," resident Tom Stauffacher said. "All expenditures should be looked at. We should look at alternatives because there are ways the village could save money."
17 municipalities covered by county
Sheriff Dale Schmidt said 17 of the 20 municipalities in Washington County already receive dispatch services through his office, making countywide consolidation a logical point of discussion.
"In many counties and cities, it is a shared service," Schmidt said. "As we look at future dispatch needs, we wanted to simply extend an invitation (to Germantown)."
In addition to the village of Germantown, the cities of Hartford and West Bend do dispatching through their own police departments. The three communities have the largest populations in the county.
In his proposal, Schmidt said dispatching through the sheriff would be a relatively seamless transition that would be virtually invisible to Germantown residents.
"We see this as a viable way to do dispatching for the village of Germantown," Schmidt said. "The way (dispatching) is done in Germantown is probably not much different than the way it's done at the sheriff's office."
Officials will find savings
But village officials held a different perspective.
Germantown Police Chief Peter Hoell said dispatchers provide a valued service - especially in critical instances where every second counts.
"The county can't provide the same level of service because they're 20 miles away," Hoell said. "It's not just taking calls and dispatching squads. It's a lot more complicated than that."
Village Administrator David Schornack also voiced strong opposition to the proposal.
"I believe that studying this matter, which was last done not too many years ago, would be a waste of money and staff time," Schornack said.
The board largely echoed the sentiments of residents and village staff.
"We do want to save money," Trustee Terri Kaminski said. "But public safety is something we all deserve, and it's something we all expect. I don't believe this is the place to be looking at savings."
Kaminski said she was against studying consolidation or sharing services at this point, but might be open to examining it in the future when technology advances and more specialized services are needed in dispatching.
Trustee Art Zabel said he would be open to at least examining the issue further, fearing Germantown could be isolating itself from decisions being made at the county level.
"The key is to stay involved," Zabel said. "I think we need to be a part of the discussion."
But Village President Dean Wolter said he believed holding off on consolidation talks at this point would not put the community in jeopardy if the village is interested in looking into the issue in the future.
"I don't think we're creating an island unto ourselves by saying, 'No, not now,' " Wolter said.
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