Lindenhurst set to contract with Fox Lake for emergency dispatch services

Lindenhurst is set to approve a new contract for emergency dispatching services that officials say will save the village $50,000 annually.

Monday’s expected vote to move dispatching services to Fox Lake comes several weeks after Lindenhurst was informed that its current dispatching provider, Antioch, was closing its dispatch center to save money.

Lindenhurst Village Administrator Matt Formica said the cost of the proposed contract is for $40,000 a year. The switch will begin within a month after the contract is signed.

“The recent decision by the village of Antioch to close their 911 dispatch center has prompted us to move forward with the decision to relocate to a new dispatch center,” Formica said. “Fox Lake has a proven track record when it comes to dispatch services. They felt like the right fit.”

Fox Lake village officials approved the contract Tuesday.

In mid-April, Antioch officials voted to shut down their 911 dispatch center and sign a dispatch contract with CenCom in Round Lake.

The move resulted in the layoffs of 12 dispatchers in Antioch, and left Lindenhurst without a dispatch center to receive emergency police calls.

At the time, Lindenhurst officials said they would interview dispatching centers in Lake County that could potentially save the village money, while also potentially upgrade their services.

Annette Wolf, director of FoxComm — the official title of the Fox Lake dispatching center — said Lindenhurst is the fifth town to sign on with their state-of-the-art center that was built in 2003.

FoxComm dispatches for Fox Lake Police, Fox Lake Fire Protection District, the Grayslake Fire Department and the Lake Villa Police Department.

Wolf said no new employees would be hired to accommodate the addition of Lindenhurst, and the transition would be seamless.

“FoxComm was built under the assumption that Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and Antioch would come together at some point, so we’re already set up for them,” she said. “I think it’s very exciting. Right now, we’re just waiting for the Lindenhurst village board to approve the same contract and we’ll be ready to go.”

Fox Lake Mayor Ed Bender said he is happy to see plans developed nearly a decade ago finally come to fruition.

“We’ve been waiting for them since 2003, so to see it finally come together is a great thing,” Bender said. “It’s been a long haul to get to this point, but there is no reason not to have this type of center. It’s always made sense to us.”