Vernon Hills moves ahead on regional dispatch

Vernon Hills police and the Countryside Fire Protection District will combine forces for dispatching with the intent of offering a regional service.

Though under consideration for some time as a potential cost-saving measure, the merger has been given the official go-ahead by the Vernon Hills village board.

Trustees agreed with the assessment of Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer that other options, such as contracting with Glenview, would not provide the same advantages or savings.

"There's a whole lot of reasons why this is beneficial," Fleischhauer told the board.

Maintaining the status quo, joining Glenview's center or privatizing the service all were determined to have disadvantages, mainly monetary.

The Glenview option, for example, would require a 10-year contract with annual costs increasing to $1.2 million.

"This was significantly higher than we had expected," Fleischhauer said.

To achieve any savings in that case, the police station would need to be closed evenings and weekends, he added.

The board discussed the matter in April and directed Fleischhauer to gather more information. The preferred choice was to combine with Countryside and reject Glenview's proposal.

"We're simply picking our operation up and moving it into their facility," Fire Chief Jeff Steingart said.

Vernon Hills police used to dispatch for Countryside until a few years ago when the district, under a former chief, opened its own fire-only facility.

"The theory then was build it and they will come," Steingart said. "It was built with the idea of being a regional fire dispatch."

But that didn't pan out, so in a sense, the system is going back to its original set up.

Five Countryside fire dispatchers will make the move, eliminating the need to hire two police dispatchers. It will allow for three telecommunicators to be on duty at all times.

"I'm thrilled at bringing it back," Trustee Jim Schultz said.

The village board also authorized up to $65,000 for equipment to install a fourth dispatch station. The equipment will be ordered immediately, with the combined service tentatively scheduled to begin Sept. 1.

Fleischhauer said other communities could be added to the service in the future, resulting in cost reductions to all involved.

"Our approach to this has been not as a business or a money making goal," he said.