Cost saving and time saving?

The Town of Saratoga may be considering switching contracting with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for dispatch services following the January 16 meeting of the Saratoga Town Council.

Currently, the Town operates its own dispatch services and contracts for the Town of Encampment. The City of Rawlins and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office also have their own dispatch. All other municipalities such as Hanna, Medicine Bow and Baggs contract with the sheriff’s office.

Some other parts of Wyoming have made the change to a joint dispatch system as a way to save money and improve the efficiency of handling 911 calls. Sweetwater County and its municipalities created a joint dispatch system, which has been operating successfully since 2012.

The Sweetwater Combined Communications Joint Powers Board oversees the operations of dispatch services for its members, which are the City of Rock Springs, the City of Green River and Sweetwater County. Each government appoints three of the nine members to the board.

“The center oversees the day-to-day operation of our dispatches,” said Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle. “The impetus for the joint center was financial.”

“I don’t have the exact numbers,” but the joint operation saves money on the cost of equipment, “certifications and things of that nature,” he said.

Rick Hawkins, executive director of the communications center, said the joint operation is a cost savings.

“One of the biggest savings is on equipment,” Hawkins said. “The center’s console system cost $1.5 million and that’s just the consoles and does not include the computers.”

A dispatch console is a system which interfaces to a private or public radio system, allowing the dispatcher to communicate directly with all field workers, police officers, EMS personnel, and others in order to coordinate their activities according to https://www.texasradios.com/myproduct/dispatch/.

“We have 11 consoles. Eight in the main center and three at the backup center,” the director said.

The main center is located in Green River and the backup center is in Rock Springs.

The cost sharing is set out in the joint powers agreement, he said. The City of Rock Springs pays 43 percent of the costs, the City of Green River pays 32 percent and the county pays 25 percent.

According to Hawkins, the joint system increases call handling efficiencies.

Before the center became operational, each entity had to receive and transfer its own 911 calls, he said. “Now they are all answered here and processed here. It’s a greater efficiency in the call handling process and less wait time.”

The center handles all the calls in the county, including the unincorporated areas, he said. The one exception is the community of Wamsutter. Carbon County dispatch handles those calls.

He said the members started talking about a joint operation in 1989 and working on it in 2009.

“It took a long time for the governing bodies to come to an agreement,” Hawkins said.

Deciding on a system that would “function in a way that was palatable to the political bodies” took some time. “Nobody wants to lose control. I am pretty sure that is why they settled on a joint powers board. Everyone involved has a say.”

Other areas in Wyoming have adopted different joint dispatch models, he added.

Besides the member board of directors, other positions include a director, an assistant and an information technology director, he said. They are considering adding an information technology technician position.

The joint system also saves money on staffing, said Hawkins.

Originally, the different entities employed 27 people in total, he said. Now they have 20 staff.

While the Town of Saratoga may be considering contracting with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, Mayor Chuck Davis said the council still wants public input.

“The council will be involved and we want to hold a public hearing,” Mayor Davis said. “What the town considers will be explained in detail to the public. We will want to hear from the citizens of Saratoga.”