Syracuse Eliminates 5 Dispatchers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - At Tuesday's town council meeting, Syracuse firefighters and emergency medical service workers responded to a report announcing the elimination of the town's emergency dispatch department.
The Animal Control Department also will be eliminated.
A report released Tuesday by Town Manager Jeff Noffsinger outlined a plan to eliminate the departments, saying town residents already have these services through the county.
"Syracuse residents are currently being taxed twice for services that are already provided from the county," Noffsinger said in a press release.
According to the report, the town council instructed Noffsinger to eliminate the departments from the upcoming budget during a recent executive session. About $165,000 annually will be freed up from the 2007 budget to address other issues. Noffsinger's press release indicates the position of the animal control officer will be terminated June 30. The dispatch office will remain open until Dec. 30.
Local firefighters disagreed with the town council regarding the adequacy of services provided through the county, citing slow response times as a reason to keep the local dispatch.
Kevin Grindle, Syracuse, said time and information is lost when a call goes through Warsaw's dispatch center and then is relayed back to Syracuse responders.
Another firefighter, Larry Weaver Jr., said he is concerned about the safety of emergency responders if the local dispatch center is lost.
"That's my lifeline ... I depend on them to back me up," Weaver said, referring to the local dispatchers.
Later in the meeting, Weaver said the job is only worth doing as long as it has a certain degree of safety.
Grindle urged the board to look into other funding options and questioned where the money went.
"That center's been here for 30 years and now all of a sudden it's a money issue?" Grindle asked.
"We don't realize what we've got sitting over there," Grindle told the board. "Once it's gone, it's gone."
In all, at least five emergency responders attended the meeting in addition to Fire Department Chief Mickey Scott. More responders are expected to attend the next town meeting.
Dee Kotterman, animal control officer, is retiring after 14 years of service with Syracuse. In addition to animal control, Kotterman has performed code enforcement duties the past few years. An open house for Kotterman was held at the Syracuse Community Center today.
Noffsinger wrote in his press release that the police department already has absorbed animal control duties and has been working well with the county on transporting animals to the Animal Welfare League, Warsaw. Code enforcement duties have been consolidated with Hal Hansborough, the town's code enforcement officer.
In other business:
• Noffsinger and Town Marshall Tony Ciriello were given board approval to address traffic problems at the intersection of Long and Northshore drives. For now they will look for a temporary solution to decrease automobile speeds and hope to soon come up with a long-term plan.
• Noffsinger was given board approval to seek informal estimates regarding the replacement of two street department buildings. The buildings, built about 50 years ago, were deemed unsafe by Downey Insurance and were recommended to be demolished. Clint Houseworth, utilities department, said the buildings are beyond repair. "The wiring is not even close to adequate, basically, the buildings don't meet any existing codes at all," Houseworth told the board.
• Ciriello was given permission to purchase a new police car for a price of $22,000, including equipment installation. The new Crown Victoria will replace a 12-year-old model driven by reserve officers.
• Houseworth told the board that plans to replace water lines on Palm Drive, between South Coco Drive and an access road, are ready to send to the indiana Department of Emergency Management. The lines will replace insufficient 2-inch mains that serve the existing households and will allow for growth in the area. The project is expected to cost less than $50,000 and Houseworth will seek quotes from local contractors.
• Bids for the town's water project were received and Noffsinger said he is positive about the results. "We're under the $7 million that's been allocated to the project, and I think we can get it even lower," he said. For construction of the treatment, well and distribution systems, the low bid was from Thieneman Construction, Crown Point, at $5,068,000; and for the elevated storage tank, the low bid was $976,000 from Caldwell Tank, Louisville, Ky.
• The council approved Noffsinger to talk to Wightman and Petrie engineers about fixing problems with the town's storm sewer system. According to Noffsinger, at the intersection of Long Drive and Main Street, there are "major ponding problems."
Syracuse Town Council's next meeting is July 6 at 6 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE - At Tuesday's town council meeting, Syracuse firefighters and emergency medical service workers responded to a report announcing the elimination of the town's emergency dispatch department.
The Animal Control Department also will be eliminated.
A report released Tuesday by Town Manager Jeff Noffsinger outlined a plan to eliminate the departments, saying town residents already have these services through the county.
"Syracuse residents are currently being taxed twice for services that are already provided from the county," Noffsinger said in a press release.
According to the report, the town council instructed Noffsinger to eliminate the departments from the upcoming budget during a recent executive session. About $165,000 annually will be freed up from the 2007 budget to address other issues. Noffsinger's press release indicates the position of the animal control officer will be terminated June 30. The dispatch office will remain open until Dec. 30.
Local firefighters disagreed with the town council regarding the adequacy of services provided through the county, citing slow response times as a reason to keep the local dispatch.
Kevin Grindle, Syracuse, said time and information is lost when a call goes through Warsaw's dispatch center and then is relayed back to Syracuse responders.
Another firefighter, Larry Weaver Jr., said he is concerned about the safety of emergency responders if the local dispatch center is lost.
"That's my lifeline ... I depend on them to back me up," Weaver said, referring to the local dispatchers.
Later in the meeting, Weaver said the job is only worth doing as long as it has a certain degree of safety.
Grindle urged the board to look into other funding options and questioned where the money went.
"That center's been here for 30 years and now all of a sudden it's a money issue?" Grindle asked.
"We don't realize what we've got sitting over there," Grindle told the board. "Once it's gone, it's gone."
In all, at least five emergency responders attended the meeting in addition to Fire Department Chief Mickey Scott. More responders are expected to attend the next town meeting.
Dee Kotterman, animal control officer, is retiring after 14 years of service with Syracuse. In addition to animal control, Kotterman has performed code enforcement duties the past few years. An open house for Kotterman was held at the Syracuse Community Center today.
Noffsinger wrote in his press release that the police department already has absorbed animal control duties and has been working well with the county on transporting animals to the Animal Welfare League, Warsaw. Code enforcement duties have been consolidated with Hal Hansborough, the town's code enforcement officer.
In other business:
• Noffsinger and Town Marshall Tony Ciriello were given board approval to address traffic problems at the intersection of Long and Northshore drives. For now they will look for a temporary solution to decrease automobile speeds and hope to soon come up with a long-term plan.
• Noffsinger was given board approval to seek informal estimates regarding the replacement of two street department buildings. The buildings, built about 50 years ago, were deemed unsafe by Downey Insurance and were recommended to be demolished. Clint Houseworth, utilities department, said the buildings are beyond repair. "The wiring is not even close to adequate, basically, the buildings don't meet any existing codes at all," Houseworth told the board.
• Ciriello was given permission to purchase a new police car for a price of $22,000, including equipment installation. The new Crown Victoria will replace a 12-year-old model driven by reserve officers.
• Houseworth told the board that plans to replace water lines on Palm Drive, between South Coco Drive and an access road, are ready to send to the indiana Department of Emergency Management. The lines will replace insufficient 2-inch mains that serve the existing households and will allow for growth in the area. The project is expected to cost less than $50,000 and Houseworth will seek quotes from local contractors.
• Bids for the town's water project were received and Noffsinger said he is positive about the results. "We're under the $7 million that's been allocated to the project, and I think we can get it even lower," he said. For construction of the treatment, well and distribution systems, the low bid was from Thieneman Construction, Crown Point, at $5,068,000; and for the elevated storage tank, the low bid was $976,000 from Caldwell Tank, Louisville, Ky.
• The council approved Noffsinger to talk to Wightman and Petrie engineers about fixing problems with the town's storm sewer system. According to Noffsinger, at the intersection of Long Drive and Main Street, there are "major ponding problems."
Syracuse Town Council's next meeting is July 6 at 6 p.m. [[In-content Ad]]