Quoted Text

Time to make central dispatch happen in Sch’dy

    Sometimes Chris Koetzle, Republican supervisor of Glenville, sounds like a man who would like to go along with Democrat-dominated Schenectady County’s centralized dispatch plan, but just wants a better deal for his town. Other times one gets the impression he’s looking for reasons to oppose it, and whatever the county offered wouldn’t be enough.
    There’s one way to find out: County offi cials who are pushing the plan, for which the county has a $1 million state grant, should meet with him, listen to his concerns and make some attempt to accommodate him. Not because they have to — the county, city and other towns could do this without Glenville, and it would be Glenville’s loss — but to show that policy is more important than politics, that they are serious about “working together” in the interest of all taxpayers in the county, and that, particularly in a small county like Schenectady and at a time of great fiscal stress for everyone, consolidation of services makes sense.
    Among Koetzle’s concerns is that the municipalities will be paying, but the county will be determining policy, costs, etc. (the municipalities would be limited to an advisory role). So he wants the county to establish a separate entity and/or tax for central dispatch. But county leaders have no interest in doing either, so it’s not going to happen. Nor does it have to. As the arrangement between the county and city for repairing vehicles shows, ..................>>>>................>>>>.............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00701&AppName=1

Anyone who votes or voted in favor or centralized dispatch should be voted out of office! Each township is a sovereign municipality with elected officials. Unfortunately rotterdam and nisky's elected officials gave part of their towns sovereignty away with central dispatch. That is just the beginning folks.

Yes we are all a part of schenectady county, but each township has it's own individual demographics and economy and needs that are separate and individual from the others. We are not, nor should be considered 'one big happy family'. What works for one, clearly will not work for all. One size does not fit all in this situation.

People choose to move to rotterdam or duanesburg or nisky for different reasons. Becoming 'one' will take the individual choice away as time goes on!

Vote all that voted for central dispatch out!! IMHO

Quoted from bumblethru

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Vote all that voted for central dispatch out!! IMHO

We probably won't need to vote them out...this is the beginning of the end of our unique town of Rotterdam.  Soon Rotterdam will not require their own police, highway dept, public works, or a TOWN BOARD.  
Bye, bye to our town government.

Regarding the Gazette Article:

            So NYS offers a $1 million dollar grant to Schd'y Cnty. and they need to get the Towns on board.  Bob G. raised a number of issues that seemed to merit further investigation, he motions to table the Resolution, and no one seconds the motion!  Hopefully Chris K. keeps Glenville out of this consortium.  Towns are projected to realize a savings although expected to be nominal.  But isn't the State grant our money to begin with, and this grant accounts for some of the savings?  PORK written all over it.  NYS doesn't have 2 cents to rub together, they are so broke, yet they can find a million for this!  The same State that is the poster child for dysfunctionality, can't pass a budget, he!!, can barely pass an extender bill.  The unequal formula already has one Town raising their eyebrows.  Hang tough Chris, and represent your constituents, don't sell them out . . . .

Duanesburg unanimously voted this down in March.  Let the fleecing begin.

Maybe Duanesburg should buy their own Dispatch equipment?

Was that sarcasm??    Seriously, was it?  Last I looked we are a part of Schenectady County and entitled to an opinion on a matter that will greatly effect the public safety of our town.   The same issues Bob Godlewski raised are the same ones I've raised at county meetings for several years only to be ignored.  I'm afraid this will be a train wreck, only difference is many of us see it coming.

There was ONE legislator who spoke out against it and the coming boondoggle, but that was a few years ago. VERY few people paid attention to what it meant. Wait until the true price of the new facility is disclosed. However it will be done as to hide the cost through a lease with a private developer. Call George Baily, as another poster remarked!

Quoted Text

GLENVILLE
Dispatch plan could get changes
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    County officials are considering adding a “circuit breaker” to the consolidated dispatch plan, saying the county would pick up the additional costs if savings from the plan don’t materialize.
    The new plan would also make it easier to change the agreement.
    The latest proposals came out of a meeting Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle and Town Attorney Michael Cuevas had Wednesday with County Attorney Chris Gardner and County Legislator Anthony Jasenski, chairman of the county Legislature’s Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee.
    Koetzle has been highly critical of the proposal as being unfair to Glenville and skeptical that consolidation would result in savings.
    However, he said he was “cautiously optimistic” following the meeting with the county.
    “I’m quite hopeful on some of the progress we’re making. I was pleased the county is addressing some of our concerns,” he said.
    County officials have said that there would be a savings through attrition of dispatchers. Koetzle had proposed the circuit breaker that would guarantee that if the number of dispatchers rose above the level set by the county, the county would be responsible for paying the additional costs.
    Another issue was the advisory committee made up of representatives from each municipality that would set policy and vote on the budget for the dispatch center. Koetzle had been concerned the committee would lack authority. In response, Koetzle said the county is offering to insert language in the agreement to prohibit the county from changing the budget for the dispatch center without a majority vote of the committee.
    “I think that’s a good step to giving that committee more teeth and control,” he said.
    Also, Koetzle said county officials are amenable to changing the length of the countywide dispatch agreement from five years to three years.
    Koetzle told the Town Board he still has issues with how the cost formula works: “We still believe Glenville is stuck at a higher cost.”
    The county has said Glenville will save $105,000 over the next two years. Koetzle said he still has a concern about whether the savings will be enough to offset the loss of other services that its dispatchers now perform, such as working on police reports and performing child safety seat checks. ...................>>>>.....................>>>>.......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01301&AppName=1

Congratulations Supervisor Chris Koetzle!  Someone with a brain looked at this a little closer than Rotterdam.  Although Bob G. raised these same issues, he probably talked with Chris, but when he made a motion to "table" no one on the Board even seconded it!  Has anyone ever heard of an instance where central dispatch would have made any difference in the response to a municipal emergency?  I've only heard the Tony J. story of a plane crashing in the Mohawk River!  Now there's a daily occurrence . . . . .

Koetzle is doing an outstanding job!! At least he asks the questions. Tony J. said a lot of nothing. Again, I say vote all those who voted for this out. If for nothing more than not asking the obviously important questions.

The police dept's will be next. IMHO

Oh, you want a job as dispatcher? You need to register in the democrap party. Oh, you want to be a police officer, you need to register in the conliberaltive party. Turn your proxy in on time too. Make sure you see Tony J. and get to the fundraiser. We have a good developer who will build the facility favorably and yes- IT WILL SAVE TONS OF MONEY. Print that last sentence only, Daily Gazette.

Lets have a spelling lesson for those who jump on the "consolidation automatically saves money" train...

B O O N D O G G L E


C E N T R A L I Z E D   C O N T R O L


P A T R O N A G E


E N D O R S E M E N T S

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY COUNTY
Dispatch plan will proceed without Glenville
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    County officials are moving forward with their consolidated dispatch plan — without Glenville’s participation.
    Schenectady County Attorney Chris Gardner said Thursday that final agreements between the county and the town of Niskayuna and city of Schenectady soon will be ratifi ed by those communities.
    “It seems right now that Glenville doesn’t have a majority of their board in favor of it. The county staff is reconfi guring the model right now,” he said. “Proportionally, people will have a bigger share [of cost] because you don’t have about one-fifth of the county.”
    Rotterdam’s Town Board endorsed the plan in June. Supervisor Frank Del Gallo said that he has a contract with the county in hand that he is waiting to sign once the county proceeds.
    Gardner said the county hopes to complete the agreements by the end of 2010 and then begin the year-long process to form a cooperative board for the initiative and fi nd a site for the dispatch center.
    Gardner said the county has no plans to penalize any community for not taking part in the program. “Municipalities are free to participate or not to participate in it depending on their preference,” he said.
    Currently, there are four separate dispatching centers in Schenectady, Rotterdam, Niskayuna and Glenville. This plan would bring three of them under one roof. The county would take over responsibility for running the operation. An advisory board made up of members from each community would vote on the budget.
    County officials are looking at January 2012 as the target date for operation. The cooperative board, whose members will be selected by each participating community, will decide the location for the dispatch center.
    The county has a state Local Government Efficiency grant for $1 million for the center, but Gardner thinks the start-up costs will be less than that. The original deadline was for the center to be operational by 2011, but county officials are confi - dent they can get an extension.
    County officials are still crunching the numbers. Gardner said there is the possibility that Scotia might join as well.
    Glenville officials have been critical of the plan, stating that they believe the town would bear a disproportionate share of the cost under the county’s arrangement.
    Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle said it is unfair that the countywide agreement would lock the communities into a share of the cost based on their 2009 dispatch expenditures. He pointed out that the town has two dispatchers per shift. They also undergo more rigorous training, Koetzle said, and perform other functions when not handling calls, including responding to people at the front window.
    Town officials believe Glenville would essentially be getting less service for the same cost. ........................>>>>......................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01103&AppName=1

Central Dispatch is an idea that is long overdue ... we need to move FORWARD with or without
Glenville.   Hopefully after January 1, 2012, there will be a more enlightened leadership in the
Glenville Town Hall.

Quoted Text

GLENVILLE
County woos town with revised central dispatch plan
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.

    County officials have offered a revised plan for its centralized dispatch center in hopes of getting Glenville to join the project.
    Supervisor Chris Koetzle said the county has suggested a weighted voting system for the oversight board that would make decisions regarding the proposed United Communications Center (UCC). The weight would be based on relative expenses for dispatching costs from each community and money generated from the fee on 911 cell phone calls.
    However, Koetzle said he does not believe the cellphone money should be included in the calculation because cellphone 911 calls can originate from anywhere in the county.
    All wireless 911 calls that originate from the county are answered by the city of Schenectady and then routed to the appropriate agency.
    “If you use that number, you skew the true contribution of the municipality,” he said.
    Town officials are still reviewing the revised proposal, Koetzle said.
    “We are keeping an open mind in these discussions and are hoping we can get there. They do seem to be open to our ideas,” he said. “The consolidation has to make sense for Glenville.”
    Glenville has been a holdout in the proposal to place all the dispatching services under one roof in a 5,300-square-foot, state-of-theart facility. Town offi cials believe they would bear a disproportionate share of the cost under the “maintenance of effort” formula, which takes what the municipalities spent on dispatching in 2009 and projects that going forward.
    Glenville, Rotterdam and Niskayuna would receive a 10 percent discount to take into account the fact that their dispatchers perform other functions besides handling calls, including administrative tasks.
    County officials had projected that Glenville would save about $100,000 from its 2009 dispatch cost of nearly $800,000.
    However, the town has been skeptical of those numbers. ...................>>>>.......................>>>>.............................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01102&AppName=1