Lakemoor set to switch emergency dispatching service
Barring unexpected delays, Lakemoor police officers will be alerted to calls in town by Wauconda’s dispatching center, officials from both towns said Friday.
The Lakemoor village board approved the dispatching contract with Wauconda on Thursday night with a unanimous vote, paving the way for the switch on Nov. 1.
Wauconda village officials approved the language of the contract during a committee meeting this week, and are expected to finalize the contract next week, officials said.
“But, we are very happy with the way everything turned out,” Lakemoor Mayor Todd Weihofen said. “We expect we’ll get better service than we have in the past, and for a cheaper price too.”
Lakemoor will pay Wauconda $51,000 annually for dispatching services, Weihofen said, down from the $67,000 paid to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for the same service.
Weihofen said the need to switch dispatching centers started about a month ago when concerns arose over the service they were getting from McHenry County. He said they sent a letter to the sheriff’s office to address those concerns, but were told to find a new dispatch center.
“They canceled their agreement and decided it was better if we went elsewhere,” Weihofen said. “In the end, they were right. It did work out better and we are real happy with the change.”
Wauconda Police Chief Doug Larsson said the Lakemoor contract will help lower the cost of dispatching services, and offset construction costs of $400,000 on Wauconda’s new dispatching center.
“We’re good to go for Nov. 1,” he said. “We have all the computer software we needed to have for Lakemoor up and running and everything is on track. We don’t see any reason we won’t be dispatching for them at the first of the month.”
Lakemoor would be the fourth department receiving dispatching services from Wauconda, joining Tower Lakes Police, the Wauconda Police Department and the Wauconda Fire District.