Swampscott to consider dispatch regionalization

SWAMPSCOTT – Town officials have been working for five years on an agreement to enter into a long-term contract with the proposed Essex County Regional Dispatch for emergency dispatch services, which would include fire and police.But Selectman Richard Malagrifa asked Town Administrator Andrew Maylor to get information on additional civilian dispatch options, including regionalization with neighboring communities.Malagrifa, who was not a selectman when negotiations were going on with Essex County Regional Dispatch, said he has a lot of concerns about the deal.”I guess I’m the derailer,” he said. “The selectmen that pushed the agreement with (regional dispatch) in Middleton are no longer on the Board of Selectmen so I asked the current selectmen to take another look at this.”Massachusetts Coalition of Police Local #417 President Sgt. Joe Kable said the union also has concerns with the proposal to enter into a long-term contract for a regional 911 emergency dispatch.”The union has not been opposed to the concept of some sort of regionalization,” Kable said. “We’re concerned about some of the details. One of the concerns about a partnership with Middleton was the cost.”Selectman David Van Dam, who was not on the board when a decision was made to press forward with the Middleton project, agreed it is important to take a step back and look at other possibilities.”I think regionalization is something we need to do to save money,” he said. “But I’m not convinced Middleton is the way to go. We need to look at what options are out there. One of my concerns (with Middleton) is the distance. I think we may do better partnering with a community that is in closer proximity to us like Lynn, Marblehead or Salem.”Malagrifa was also concerned about the financial implications for the town and he questioned whether it would improve service.”There are two things that need to be considered,” Malagrifa said. “Will it cost more money and will it improve service? It is expected to cost the town $230,000 a year and we would need to reduce our police force by two or three officers to break even.”Van Dam said he expects Maylor to have information on other regional 911 dispatch options in the next couple of weeks and he is looking forward to hearing what options are out there.Initially 19 communities were prepared to sign on to the regional 911 service but almost 50 percent have pulled out. In May 2009, police officers in town expressed concern when Town Meeting members voted to allow the selectmen to enter into an intergovernmental contract for regional dispatch services for a period of up to 10 years.Malagrifa said a long-term contract also concerns him.”We don’t even know the annual increase in costs going forward,” he said. “If we decide it doesn’t meet our needs or the price of the service goes up the town is still locked in for five or 10 years.”Malagrifa said his preference would be to work out an agreement with a neighboring community.”We already do a lot of collaborating with Marblehead, Salem and Lynn,” Malagrifa said. “They are our surrounding communities and we work with them all the time. I believe regionalizing with communities around us is the best thing to do. It could open up the doors to other regionalization opportunities and allow us to make more efficient use of tax dollars.”Calls to Selectmen Jill Sullivan, Robert Mazow and Matthew Strauss were not immediately returned on Monday.