If everything goes according to plan, Hermiston will be part of a county-wide emergency dispatch system by July 2014.
The Hermiston City Council voted Monday night to consolidate its dispatch center with Umatilla County. Pendleton, Umatilla, Stanfield and Echo already use the county’s dispatch center for their emergency calls.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston told the council that the move will enhance emergency services and save the city approximately $350,000 during the first year of consolidation and about $250,000 annually after that. The savings, particularly during the first year, will come from reduced staffing as well as the city no longer having to spend money on equipment upgrades.
Hermiston currently has seven employees in its dispatch center. Two of those employees would remain at the Hermiston dispatch center to manage its records system and three others would move to the county dispatch center. Edmiston said there is a chance the other two could be absorbed into the county dispatch service due to retirements at the county level.
“I would anticipate working directly with Sheriff (Terry) Rowan over the course of the next 11 months to try and identify needs within his agency where the two remaining dispatchers could be given the opportunity for employment,” Edmiston wrote in a memo to the Hermiston City Council.
Consolidation would also improve efficiency in dispatching calls to the Hermiston fire department. Last month, Hermiston Fire Chief Pat Hart said he was in favor of consolidation because it will streamline fire calls and eliminate potential confusion and delays. Currently, if a 9-1-1 call about a fire comes from a resident outside the city limits of Hermiston, the call goes to the county dispatch before being transferred back to Hermiston. If a call comes from inside the city limits, it goes to Hermiston. A call coming from a cell phone could go to either dispatch center, he said.
Edmiston said consolidation would mean all law enforcement agencies would switch over to the records management system currently used by the Hermiston dispatch center, enabling each agency to more effectively and efficiently share information.
Hermiston City Councilor John Kirwan said the city needs to consider three factors:
1) Public Safety
2) Financial impact
3) Impact on people
“Two people could potentially lose their jobs,” he said. “But in the long run, in my opinion, this is what’s best for the city and public safety.”
In other news, the council postponed forming an urban renewal district until its Aug. 26 meeting in order to work out language in the ordinance that would form the district. The council did hold a public hearing on the district’s formation. It was a short hearing, as no one spoke in favor or in opposition of the proposed district.
The council also approved liquor licenses for Mercado Latino, 305 S.W. 11th St., and El Gran Chaparral, 305 S.W. 11th St., Suite B.
