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Atlantic County municipalities could save about $2 million in operational costs during the first year of a county-operated central dispatch system, officials said Friday.

The report estimates that 22 participating local governments - Atlantic City would continue with its own system - would cut staffing costs from about $7.2 million to about $5.2 million, according to Atlantic County Administrator Gerald DelRosso.

"Those savings would be strictly the operational costs," he said.

"The staffing involved, we would take that over," so the towns would save.

The county has for years tried to come up with an emergency dispatch system that municipalities would support. Local elected officials and police chiefs have resisted the system, fearing that losing control of the operations would result in declining service.

The county implemented a new radio system several years ago that solved a number of communication problems, especially an inability for many police and fire departments and rescue squads to communicate directly with each other.

However, the central dispatch proposal never fully went away, with officials

saying that Atlantic County is one of the last counties in the state not to have such a system.

Part of the reason for new interest in a central dispatch system involves cost. Municipalities are looking for ways to spend less without sacrificing emergency services.

DelRosso said the report indicates operational costs would be cut by the need for less staff, although how to accomplish that must still be discussed with local

officials.

"We don't want to hurt everybody immediately," he said, referring to any possible layoffs.

DelRosso said the report indicated the central dispatch headquarters would cost about $18 million. The county is trying to pare down that cost by deciding just what is and isn't needed at the facility, he said.

Current discussion also centers on building the central dispatch headquarters at Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, as the facility is near the center of the county and far enough away from the coast to make it less vulnerable to a direct hit by a major storm.

The airport is run by the South Jersey Transportation Authority, or SJTA.

SJTA is planning to build a new facility for airport aircraft rescue and fire fighting station.

The central dispatch system would be connected to, or part of, the new building.

However, the SJTA recently pulled its request for the building.

A "notice of project on hold" on the SJTA's Web site states that the project "has

been placed on hold," but gave no reasons why it was done.

SJTA officials couldn't be reached for comment on Friday.

E-mail Thomas Barlas:

TBarlas@pressofac.com

1 comment:

• Phantomfury (20) posts 9:37 pm

  It's going to save 2 million in the first year, what a crock. It is going to take 18 million to build and it will take 9 plus years to even start saving money. Most towns cant get good qualified people now because of the low pay dispatchers receive. Now you want to bounce dispatchers from town to town. Hey, not only do I not know what I am doing but I don't know this town I am dispatching for today. Smoke in mirrors!

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