911 chief looks to better system

SARPY COUNTY, NE — The ink is barely dry on Sarpy County’s latest 911 service agreement, and its emergency management director is already thinking about a better system.

Larry Lavelle said the most interesting part of Sarpy County’s new interlocal agreement is an offer to partner with Douglas County in a feasibility study for sharing 911 services. The Douglas County Board will vote on the offer at its Tuesday meeting.

“Our counties already share a computer-aided dispatch system,” Lavelle said. “The feasibility study will really find out if there are enough benefits to commit to a full (integration) of services. Philosophically, I’m all about sharing and taking advantage of the financial savings.”

Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County Board chairwoman, said she is optimistic that the board will choose to take part in the study.

“It makes a lot of sense, and it’s something we have talked about for years,” Borgeson said. “Just because there is a county line it doesn’t mean that the 911 services for police and fire have to be divided.”

Lavelle has worked in 911 dispatch for 30 years and participated in the merger of Omaha and Douglas County’s call centers before accepting his present job. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if the five-year agreement approved 5-0 earlier this month by the Sarpy County Board is the last of its kind.

Under the new agreement, the county will pay 79.04 percent of the operational costs for the 911 dispatch communication system for the first year of the contract and 77.5 percent for the remaining years. The remaining balance, 20.96 percent in 2011 and 22.5 percent thereafter, will be split among Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna and Springfield.

Sarpy County has agreed to pay for upgrades and other additional costs worth $10 million over the life of the contract, in excess of its obligatory cost-share percentage.

One reason to consider a Sarpy County and Douglas County merger, Lavelle said, is that both counties will soon need to spend several million dollars to upgrade technology and equipment.

A committee of public safety officials from both counties is tentatively set to begin discussing the feasibility of shared 911 services in January and submit its final report by Jan. 1, 2014. The study group also will be open to representatives from all public entities in the area, including Washington County in Nebraska and counties in western Iowa.

If the study is approved, a facilitator will be hired with money from the Department of Homeland Security. The study group would be split into subcommittees to assess and provide recommendations on topics such as technology, shared facilities, operational responsibilities and management.

Read the story here.

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