Monday, November 26, 2012
Some Westwood and Washington Township officials want the towns to share emergency dispatching services to save money, but others say the combined desk may not be able to handle the number of calls during large emergencies.
Washington Township Mayor Janet Sobkowicz effectively decided that the township and Westwood would not share emergency dispatching services when she said she would not sign a contact for the services to be performed out of town during a council meeting last week. The shared dispatch would have been hosted in the Westwood Police Department with a team of civilians running the desks. Combining services would have saved about $50,000 a year for the township compared to running their own dispatch with civilians, but the change would have required the Washington Township Police Department to be closed at night as part of savings. "As far as I'm concerned, $50,000 is not a high price to pay for dispatching to stay here," Sobkowicz said. …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Washington Township Council voted in favor of pursuing a shared emergency dispatch service with Westwood, but Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she would keep dispatching in the township.
The Washington Township Council voted 4-1 Monday to pursue a shared service with Westwood for emergency dispatching, but Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she would not consent to the deal. "We're going to stay in-house," Sobkowicz said. Westwood officials had proposed they could host emergency dispatching for both towns in the Westwood Police Department at an average cost of $132,000 per year, plus some expenses for equipment upgrades. As mayor, Sobkowicz is needed to sign any contracts the township enters. In the spring, she refused to sign a contract for shared dispatching with Bergen County after the council had voted in favor of that, too. Some councilmen expressed frustration with Sobkowicz's veto power. "There is absolutely no reason for …
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Westwood Mayor John Birkner said he hopes the borough will be able to finalize a deal with Washington Township for shared emergency dispatching before January 1, 2013.
Westwood Mayor John Birkner said this week that he hopes to have a shared emergency dispatching service in place before the end of the year. After months of discussion, the borough proposed that it could host dispatching for itself and Washington Township with a team of civilian dispatchers in the Westwood Police Department. Civilian dispatchers are paid less than police officers covering the desk. "We have a good proposal on the table," Birkner said. "We are simply waiting for the township to do their due diligence." Township councilmen informally moved toward accepting the borough's plan during their last meeting, but some details still need to be negotiated, officials said. The council will also need the support of Washington Township …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Westwood officials have proposed that the borough could host emergency dispatching for Washington Township so both towns can save money.
The Washington Township Council informally moved toward accepting Westwood's offer to host their emergency dispatching during their meeting this week, according to Council President Richard Hrbek. Officials have narrowed their search for a way to save money on emergency dispatching down to two options: using civilian dispatchers in the Washington Township Police Department or contracting with Westwood to share a civilian dispatch desk in the borough's police department. Hrbek said he believed the two-town option would provide the best service and could also generate some significant savings in the future. Unlike the previously-considered Bergen County dispatch, township emergency officials have said they believed Westwood could maintain …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Washington Township and Westwood officials have been considering sharing emergency dispatching in the borough's police department. Now township officials are looking at the opposite plan.
Washington Township officials said Monday that they would examine the possibility of hosting emergency dispatching for Westwood. The two towns have been considering a proposal from Westwood to host the township's dispatching, but that plan would involve the Washington Township Police Department being closed at night. Both towns would also help pay for some new equipment for Westwood's dispatch center, much of which the township already has, according to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz. Township councilmen agreed during their meeting Monday that Westwood's plan was good, but that they should investigate the possibility of hosting dispatching for the borough. "Maybe we can give them a better number," Councilman Glenn Beckmeyer said. Westwood's …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Westwood and Washington Township officials are considering a plan to have the borough host the township's emergency dispatching.
Westwood Mayor John Birkner and Police Captain Frank Durante attended the Washington Township Council's meeting Monday to answer questions about a possible shared service agreement between the two towns for emergency dispatching. The plan is one of many that local officials have examined for ways to save money on emergency dispatching, though Washington Township councilmen previously said they believed this plan would solve many of the issues residents and emergency officials had with other proposals, such as using Bergen County's dispatch service in Mahwah. "I'm very comfortable with Westwood's ability to provide this service seamlessly," township Councilman Steve Cascio said. Westwood's proposal is that Washington Township would pay an …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Officials from Washington Township, Westwood, Hillsdale and other area towns are investigating their options for shared emergency dispatching services in order to save money.
The Borough of Emerson recently entered the continuing talks for shared dispatching services, according to Washington Township Mayor Janet Sobkowicz. Sobkowicz said she met with officials from Emerson to discuss the possibility of the borough hosting the township's emergency calls in their civilian dispatch center. Currently, Washington Township's dispatching is performed by a mix of police officers and civilian dispatchers in police headquarters. At their meeting this week, township councilmen also discussed a proposal from Westwood to share dispatching based in Westwood. A test in March found that Westwood could handle emergency calls from both towns. Council President Richard Hrbek said they needed to formally respond to the proposal, …
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
More than 1,000 Hillsdale residents signed a petition to get a question related to the debate over emergency dispatching on the ballot in November.
Hillsdale voters will have a non-binding say in the future of their police department in November with a referendum that more than 1,000 residents signed their support to, according to borough officials. "The people have spoken," Councilwoman Marie Hanlon said. During a Hillsdale Council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Max Arnowitz and members of the council discussed the referendum and agreed they would vote on a resolution at their next meeting to pass the question along to the county for inclusion on the ballot in November. Officials also discussed the possibility of adding their own question or an explanatory statement to the ballot. They have until August to make a decision. The referendum question, according to PBA President Chris Donaldson, …
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Washington Township Council voted 3-2 Monday to draft a contract with Bergen County for shared dispatching, but Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she won't sign with the county.
Washington Township Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she will not sign a contract to use Bergen County's dispatch service, even though the township council voted 3-2 in favor of pursuing an agreement with the county during their meeting Monday. Officials from Washington Township and Westwood have been considering creating a new, independent dispatching service to share with River Vale and Old Tappan so all four towns could save money. Westwood and Washington Township officials have also been investigating using the county dispatch service, which is operated in Mahwah by the Bergen County Police Department. "As far as I'm concerned, we're not going to do it that way," Sobkowicz said. Council Vice President Joseph D'Urso said the switch to county …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Officials said they would also need to know the requirements for emergency responders before making a decision.
The Washington Township Mayor and Council continued discussing possible options for a shared emergency dispatching service during their meeting this week. According to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz, it would cost Westwood and Washington Township each about $124,505 in operating costs for the first year of a shared dispatch based in the Westwood Police Department. With a 2 percent increase each year, it would be about $656,245 total per town for the next five years. Westwood officials have said they would prefer to get the dispatching out of their department. The towns are also considering joining the Bergen County Dispatch. According to Councilman Steve Cascio, Leonia, which has a population close to Washington Township, pays $154,998 per year for…
Kevin P
10:26 pm on Monday, November 26, 2012
Yes.. sharing services just makes sense. It is a sign of times. more ›