Libertyville emergency dispatch stays local

Calls for police and fire service made by Libertyville residents will continue to be answered in house for the time being.

Despite potentially significant cost savings, village trustees Tuesday decided to keep the hometown dispatch service in place.

"We can't have sacred cows but just because we look at something doesn't mean we're racing off to do it," said Trustee Rich Moras.

Village leaders agreed they needed more information to compare the offerings of the CenCom regional dispatch center in Round Lake with those provided locally.

"Are we going to get that same level of service? I have a concern," Mayor Terry Weppler said during a village board work session on the matter.

Several trustees expressed similar sentiments and the matter was tabled indefinitely, an action that prompted hugs among dispatchers and supporters in the audience at village hall.

How long the reprieve will last is unknown, as the village continues to search for budget savings. The switch to CenCom would save from $1.4 million to as much as $2.3 million over five years, according to information provided to the board.

Another wrinkle in what has become an emotional issue for local dispatchers as well as village leaders is the emergence of Vernon Hills as a possible provider for dispatch service.

Vernon Hills is working with the Countryside Fire Protection District on the possibility of combining fire and police dispatch services in expanded space at the Vernon Hills police station.

"This is all kind of a `What if?' " Mike Allison, Vernon Hills' village manager, said Wednesday. "The idea behind doing any of this is to save money."

He said there were different scenarios regarding the structure, responsibilities and other aspects of a merger that had to be investigated before any decision is made.

"The next piece is we have to drill down and get some real numbers to them - how would it all work," he said.

In Libertyville, the major considerations for switching operations have been to provide the same or better levels of service, save money and ensure the dispatchers were re-employed, according to Village Administrator Kevin Bowens.

Trustees questioned various aspects of the new set up, such as how the 55,000 annual nonemergency calls would be handled; how much say the village would have in operations and whether it would be relinquishing control; and who would deal with an estimated 5,000 walk-ins per year at a vacated Libertyville center.

"I don't want citizens to come to our station, pick up a phone and talk to someone in another community," Weppler said.

Trustees appeared to favor the personal touch of a hometown operation, despite the potential savings of going regional.

"What I'm struggling with is a way to measure performance to compare what we do ourselves to if we use a wider network," said Trustee Nick Proepper. "Quite frankly, I'm not comfortable with it."

Proepper said he wants to get a better idea of how service would change if it done elsewhere, be it Round Lake or Vernon Hills.

"My major concern is this is kind of a philosophical change in the way we operate as a village," he said.

Combining dispatch services was discussed about five years ago among neighboring towns, including Libertyville and Vernon Hills, but nothing came of the idea.