Libertyville considers dispatch move

Libertyville officials again are considering an alternative to local dispatching for fire and police calls.

The village is weighing a proposal to join a telecommunications center operated by Vernon Hills police and the Countryside Fire Protection District.

Discussions are scheduled separately in both communities Tuesday, but no decisions have been made.

In Libertyville, the village board’s fire and police committee will discuss the possibility of going to Vernon Hills for police and fire dispatch, Fire Chief Rich Carani said.

“It’s up in the air,” Carani said.

The arrangement could save about $1.7 million over five years. That includes $400,000 in capital improvements, such as a phone system upgrade, that would not need to be done, according to information provided to the fire and police committee.

In Vernon Hills, Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer is scheduled to present an overview of the proposed financial and operational arrangements for Libertyville as a potential new telecommunications center member.

“We’ve got numbers we’ve offered we believe would make it beneficial to both agencies,” Deputy Chief Jon Petrillo said.

Under the proposal, Libertyville would pay Vernon Hills about $607,000 in 2012-13, increasing to about $715,000 in 2016-17.

Disbanding the local center became a heated topic in early 2010, when Libertyville considered joining the CenCom center in Round Lake as a cost-saving measure.

Village officials in March 2010 decided to keep the service in house, despite potentially significant cost savings, but continued discussions with Vernon Hills.

At the time, village leaders said they needed more information to compare outsourced and locally provided dispatch services.

Some trustees also said they were concerned about the level of service, as local dispatchers and supporters filled the village hall chambers.

The Libertyville center, which operates out of the police station, is authorized for eight positions but is operating with six full timers.

“We’re kind of waiting to see what happens. We don’t want to hire people if we move,” Carani said.

They handle all emergency calls for the village and Libertyville Fire Protection District, as well as all nonemergency police and after-hours calls. They also assist people who walk in after hours, and monitor alarm signals and security cameras among other duties.

The consolidation would result in the need for three new employees in Vernon Hills and two new records assistants in Libertyville. Libertyville telecommunicators would be given a chance to apply before posting the jobs elsewhere, according to the agreement.

Vernon Hills and Countryside, which is based in Vernon Hills and receives 80 percent of its calls from the village, combined last spring at the renovated police department headquarters.

Outsourcing the service in Libertyville has been a consideration for years.

“We are considering consolidating dispatch (service) and we have for some time,” Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler said recently. “At this point it’s kind of open. It’s our job to investigate any way we can save money.”