After making a presentation to the county supervisors last week,
the general manager of the Santa Cruz County dispatch center Monday
was scheduled to inform Hollister City Council members on the
impacts.
After making a presentation to the county supervisors last week, the general manager of the Santa Cruz County dispatch center Monday was scheduled to inform Hollister City Council members on the impacts.
For the first time last week, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors heard the possible benefits and issues in possibly transferring 911 emergency response services to Santa Cruz County.
The report, which was presented in draft form to the board, outlines savings that could exceed $350,000 per year and presents no issues in regard to time delays or loss of 911 services.
The annual savings of the combined services would be $97,450 for the county and an additional $260,447 for the city, according to the report. The savings are expected to grow after the first two years, after transition costs are exhausted.
Hollister council members were set to get a presentation from Scotty Douglas, the Santa Cruz center’s G.M., at the 6:30 p.m. meeting at Hollister City Hall.
According to the presentation given last week, the transition and startup costs that would create additional phone lines in Santa Cruz and expand on the Santa Cruz located dispatch center by 6.5 full-time equivalent positions, according to the report. The cost could range from around $370,000 to $445,000.
The report comes after the county approached Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 in September to research the feasibility of transferring the services to the nearby county to save money. Dispatchers who are members of the local Service Employees International Union criticized the idea, calling into question the Santa Cruz dispatchers’ knowledge of San Benito County.
A short presentation from Douglass last week was intended to show the benefits of such a deal, and the ability of the Santa Cruz dispatchers to perform the job for locals.
Douglass said Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 would be open to hiring dispatchers from San Benito County – paying them more because of travel cost – and staying true to their current CalPERS benefits.
Overall, the center handles nearly 500,000 phone calls a year, including 310,000 calls for service and employs 47 workers.
With an annual budget of $4.9 million, the center also is certified to give emergency commands such as helping with CPR, something San Benito County’s dispatcher center can’t, Douglass said.
The addition of San Benito County to the call center would increase calls for service by a little more than 50,000 annually, Douglass said. The county’s dispatch center handles one-sixth of Santa Cruz call center’s calls but employs 18 workers, nearly half of Santa Cruz.
The contract with Regional 9-1-1 would be a five-year commitment from the county, according to the report. The contract could be signed by May.
Douglass will give a similar presentation in February to the Regional 9-1-1 board of directors. Depending on the board of directors’ decision, Douglass will return to Hollister to give a final report.
For the first five years, the county would not become a member of the board of directors, but will be considered a user.
