Kalamazoo County dispatch

The Kalamazoo Integrated Dispatch Center responds to city, township and county calls inside the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Crosstown Parkway headquarters.

(Mark Bugnaski)

KALAMAZOO, MI -- On May 2, voters will decide if a 450 percent increase on fees assessed to phone numbers is worth funding the authority responsible for consolidating emergency dispatch operations in Kalamazoo County.

Starting July 1 and running through mid-2022, Kalamazoo County residents would pay a $2.30 monthly surcharge for each device able to access 911, up from the current 42-cent surcharge. If passed, residents would pay $27.60 each year for each phone line, compared to $5.04 under the current surcharge.

Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority Executive Director Jeff Troyer said a five-year renewal of the millage would be needed in 2022.

Here's what you need to know about the surcharge, including reasons cited by supporters to back the measure and by opponents to oppose it.

Who will be charged?

The best way for people to determine if they will be charged, Troyer said, is to look at a recent bill and see if there is the Kalamazoo County 911 tax of 42 cents per line. Devices capable of calling 911 are charged.

Businesses with multiple lines receive a discount. Under the proposal, the first 10 lines would be charged $2.30 per number, with each additional 10 lines charged $2.30 for the group.

Pre-paid phones, including vehicle services like On-Star, would not be charged, though all phones still pay a 19-cent state surcharge.

Multiple land lines with the same phone number are only charged once.

Also assessed the surcharge are iPads and other smart tablets with a data plan.

What does it pay for?

Kalamazoo County, the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, Kalamazoo Township and Western Michigan University each fund separate public safety answering points throughout the county. In 2014, they signed an interlocal agreement creating the Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority.

The agreement states that the parties will create a consolidated center placing each of the five public safety answering points in one location. The surcharge would fund 911 emergency telephone call answering and dispatch services within Kalamazoo County, including facilities, equipment, maintenance and operating costs.

Once fully implemented in April 2018, the consolidated emergency dispatch system will replace all five PSAPs and will handle dispatching of police, fire, and EMS services throughout the county.

Currently, WMU and Portage PSAPs are based out of their public safety departments. The Kalamazoo Integrated Dispatch Center, located at 150 E. Crosstown Parkway, takes 911 calls for the city of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Township and the county.

It cost $5.56 million total to operate the five public safety answering points in Kalamazoo County last year. The surcharge increase would generate around $5.8 million a year, enough to keep the authority sustainable without any funds from WMU and the municipalities until it expires in 2022.

Kalamazoo County spent an estimated $1.14 million on dispatch in 2016; the city of Kalamazoo spent $2.33 million; Portage spent $1.2 million; Kalamazoo Township spent $568,110 and Western Michigan University spent $533,477.

Governing bodies of each five organizations passed formal resolutions supporting the surcharge increase and stating how it will use taxpayer dollars that used to fund dispatch.

Only the city of Portage is considering giving it back to the taxpayers.

The city of Kalamazoo will reallocate the funds to support community policing in city neighborhoods and downtown.

The city of Portage has discussed reducing its property taxes by 0.25 mill. If Portage joins central dispatch, the city would still need $749,000 for four positions required to maintain a full-time presence at its public safety answering point and perform other necessary work, including records management.

Kalamazoo County used its savings to create several new positions, including a human resources specialist, additional registered nurses in the county jail, a field operations deputy in the sheriff's office, an assistant prosecuting attorney, a judicial aide, an information systems manager, and community action agency manager positions.

Kalamazoo Township will reallocate its funds to other public safety functions.

WMU hired an additional public safety officer and will maintain a 24/7 operation at its on-campus site to handle the needs of students.

Why consolidate?

Kalamazoo County is one of five counties in the state that does not have a consolidated dispatch center.

There are at least five major advantages to consolidated dispatch, Troyer said, including enhanced ability to implement new technology, cost effectiveness and improved coordination of responses to emergencies.

Right now, copper wires route 911 calls to each PSAP, Troyer said. Next-generation technology that uses an IP network and is still capable of using legacy technology is planned for the new center.

Roughly 70 percent of Michigan's counties are using next-generation technology. Portage has the capability to use the technology already, though Troyer said some equipment would be needed.

The authority implemented a Text-to-911 service in February which allows people to send a text message to "911" from mobile devices if they are within Kalamazoo County. If possible, a phone call is still the preferred method to reach emergency responders.

KCCDA also intends to upgrade the current fire communications system.

A 911 study in late 2013 done by a consultant states consolidation would lead to quicker call processing and dispatch times, potentially resulting in faster on-scene times for field personnel.

In 2015, it cost $5.5 million to operate the five existing 911 centers. By applying a standard 3 percent growth rate, KCCDA estimates it will cost $6 million to operate the five centers in 2018.

However, the dispatch authority estimates the consolidated center will only cost $5.8 million when it goes live in in 2018.

In the new dispatch center, a call taker would interview a person seeking help, which is entered into a computer dispatch system while the call taker continues to gather information. The incident is instantaneously received by the dispatcher, who coordinates field personnel to respond on scene.

According to the 2013 study, this prevents a lag in gathering information from the caller while the telecommunicator balances interviewing and dispatching. As the call taker gathers new information, it is sent to the dispatchers to be communicated to the responding units.

Individual agencies will also no longer have to support the training and technology costs in a PSAP. The 2013 study states a cost savings will come from eliminating redundant and expensive technology.

A recent report by the National Transportation Safety Board states the June 2016 crash in which a pickup driver, allegedly driving drugged, crashed into a group of nine bicyclists, killing five of them, might have been prevented had there been better 911 dispatch communication.

"Urgent" recommendations provided by the NTSB include expediting the establishment of a consolidated dispatch center in Kalamazoo County and having the three agencies involved in the June 2016 incident undergo a voluntary compliance review by the Michigan State 911 Committee.

Troyer declined to share his thoughts on the accuracy of the report, but said its findings shouldn't be the main reason to consolidate.

"I think the dispatch authority's collaborative vision of consolidating, equipping maintaining and operating the 911 system is the right way to go," he said.

One member of the NTSB, Earl Weener, disagreed with his colleagues in a separate statement, saying its is difficult to speculate whether officers could have prevented the crash without knowing more information, including the number of calls taken that night and the number of officers available.

Last week, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Fuller agreed with that assessment in a joint statement with Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley and Kalamazoo Township Police Chief Tim Bourgeois.

"We want to make sure that the merits we have been discussing over the last four to five months about the goals of consolidation should be the reason why this county's residents should consider (the surcharge increase), not a report from the NTSB," Troyer said. "I think the agencies have to provide their own comments on that."

Why are some against the surcharge increase?

In early discussions about whether to place the surcharge on the May ballot, some Kalamazoo County commissioners said they thought the cost increase was too much.

A family with four phones would pay $110.40 annually if the proposal passes, compared to $20.16 currently.

Commissioner Scott McGraw proposed an amendment that would reduce property taxes or law enforcement levies to give money back to residents for the increased surcharge. Democrats on the board struck the amendment down 6-5, with each Republican voting to reduce taxes.

McGraw, Dale Shugars, now board chair, and Commissioner Roger Tunier voted against putting the referendum on the May ballot, stating that it felt like taxing residents twice.

Only Portage has tried to pass the savings along to its residents.

Kalamazoo's Fraternal Order of Police lodge is campaigning against the ballot proposal. The organization representing law enforcement officers and some dispatchers has purchased 15 billboards across Kalamazoo County, local radio ads and hundreds of lawn signs financed through union dues.

The FOP is opposed to consolidated dispatch, believing that current emergency response in the county is functioning smoothly.

Troyer said the more than 50 dispatchers who work in the county will have to reapply for their jobs once the consolidated center begins operation in April 2018.

FOP President John Cross Sr. said some dispatchers are concerned they will be hired by the authority at a lower salary with fewer benefits. Dispatchers are a part of various police unions, but would not be eligible for Public Act 312 of 1969, which provides compulsory arbitration of labor disputes in municipal police and fire departments.

Troyer said the hiring process could be expedited for current dispatchers, but when the center opens in April 2017, they will still need to apply.

Some dispatchers are afraid to speak out against the ballot proposal for fear of not being hired, Cross said.

Others are concerned that one of the five entities could leave the KCCDA, which is allowed under the interlocal agreement.

"All of the agencies are signed on the interlocal agreement and thus far have been very much in support of it," Troyer said. "I haven't talked to any elected officials who are not."

Troyer said he does not anticipate anyone withdrawing.

What's other options are there?

If the millage doesn't pass, Troyer said the authority will review other options to fund its operations. Options presented to the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners include a mix of a millage, local surcharge and general fund tax dollars.

Some communities levy a property tax millage and some use a combination of millage, surcharge, and general funds. KCCDA determined that a surcharge was the most fair solution for Kalamazoo County because it is a "user-based" fee.