Study: Dispatch consolidation would save money

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November 14, 2008

By Anita Burke

Mail Tribune

Jackson County's two 9-1-1 answering and dispatching services should share space while they work out a plan for consolidation, which ultimately could save up to $433,000 annually, a recent study has concluded.

"We give a firm recommendation for consolidation, but collocate first to get your feet wet and buy time to develop a consolidation plan," said Richard Brady, president of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Matrix Consulting Group, a company hired to study alternatives for providing emergency communication services throughout the county.

Brady presented the study's conclusions to the Medford City Council Thursday and Southern Oregon Regional Communications officials Wednesday.

Medford owns Rogue Valley Consolidated Communications, which dispatches for Medford and Ashland police and fire departments and the Medford airport fire department. SORC dispatches emergency calls for the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, many local fire districts and most local police departments.

The two have discussed consolidation for years, but no agreements have been reached. However, officials said the agencies have worked closely on this study and on the design of a new center the county is building now for SORC that could accommodate the city's center, too. That building is scheduled to be completed by fall 2009.

The Matrix study examined consolidation, collocation and maintaining two separate centers to look for the most efficient and cost-effective way to provide a vital public service, Brady said.

The roughly 200-page report offered suggestions for managing and staffing separate centers more effectively but found that consolidation or collocation provided more savings. The two centers could move into the new building when it is completed, but full consolidation could take two to four years, he said.

"With collocation you can get some efficiencies," Brady said. "That is a good place to be, but we recommend it as a step toward greater integration."

Agencies have struggled over who would govern a consolidated center, a common issue, Brady said. Other centers have found a two-board governing system works well — a board of directors with seats allocated based on population or calls for service, and an operating council with one representative from each involved agency, for example. The governing system also can evolve as the center develops, he said.

Employee compensation and technology are other common concerns, but SORC and RVCOMM are fairly similar on those fronts. Brady said those issues could be worked out.

"My view is that there's a compelling case for co-location," Medford City Councilman Al Densmore said. "I'm not so sure of consolidation."

"This is a big step," Mayor Gary Wheeler said. "We will approach it with caution and listen to staff."

City Manager Mike Dyal said the report was a good overview. He noted its list of 77 tasks that should be done in a consolidation process might be too much for the fire, police and dispatch managers working most closely on the process so far. If the city is serious about continuing the process, he suggested checking to see if any of the $200,000 grant the county received to pay for the study remained to hire a person to guide the next steps.

SORC Director Margie Puckett said she expects collaborative work to continue now that the Matrix report has been issued.

Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail aburke@mailtribune.com.

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