Excerpts from theTimesWeekly.com:
According to recent developments, Will County is under pressure to consolidate its six 911 dispatch centers into three by next July. However, many key details remain unresolved, such as the locations of these centers, their funding mechanisms, and the scope of services they’ll provide.
Steve Rauter, the executive director of WESCOM—the Western Will County Communication Center—and chairman of the county's 9-1-1 long-range planning committee, highlighted two critical points: a plan must be submitted to the state by July 2016, and implementation must be completed by July 2017. Failure to comply with these deadlines could lead to the state withholding funds collected from phone service providers, which are currently used to support the county's 911 operations.
“We’re taking this seriously,†Rauter stated. “The Illinois State Police are drafting the enforcement guidelines, and if we don’t meet the requirements, our funding will dry up.â€
In Will County, the largest dispatch center is located in Joliet, handling both police and fire calls for the city. WESCOM, based in Plainfield, serves 19 communities including Bolingbrook, Wilmington, and Braidwood. Other centers are spread across Romeoville, Crete, Frankfort (for the Lincoln-Way area), and Will County itself, which primarily deals with emergency calls in unincorporated areas without any firefighter dispatch responsibilities.
Although most agree that merging Joliet or WESCOM doesn’t seem practical at this point, Will County Undersheriff Bob Contro noted that discussions are just beginning this month. He emphasized that everything remains open to change as the process unfolds. One potential option involves integrating a new dispatch center into the sheriff’s office building on Laraway Road, slated to begin construction next year. However, timing is crucial since the design phase is set to start soon, adding urgency to the decision-making process.
“For now, all options are on the table,†Contro said.
This consolidation effort stems from a legislative mandate passed earlier this year, aiming to cut down response times by reducing the number of dispatch hubs statewide. Delays caused by transferring calls between centers can cost precious minutes during emergencies. The ultimate vision, as Rauter explained, is a fully integrated statewide system. To kickstart this initiative, the state intends to hire a consultant, despite financial challenges posed by Illinois’ fiscal crisis, which has redirected 911 funds to help balance the budget.
It’s unclear how much state aid will be available for county-level projects when Illinois also needs to invest in establishing 911 services in nine counties lacking them entirely. Once the governor appoints a board to oversee consolidation planning—expected later this month—the specifics of county submissions due by July 2016 will become clearer.
If Joliet and WESCOM are selected as two of the three dispatch centers, the remaining area would fall under one central hub. Ideally, this hub would be part of the new law enforcement campus, suggested County Board member Denise Winfrey, who sits on the capital improvements committee.
Alternatively, Will County might choose to withdraw entirely from dispatch duties and transfer them to an external center, according to Rauter. Beyond location and funding, numerous other considerations loom large, such as determining which towns will be served by the new center, whether Joliet and WESCOM will expand their coverage areas, the amount of equipment required, upgrades needed at existing facilities, and how costs will be distributed among communities.
Traditionally, costs correlate with call volume, with smaller municipalities paying less than larger ones. Yet, Rauter questioned whether towns requiring a new center should bear higher costs compared to WESCOM communities, which recently contributed to building a new facility just three years ago.
Previous posts about issues with the 911 system in Will County are HERE and HERE.
Residents and stakeholders alike are anxiously awaiting further updates as the clock ticks closer to the July 2016 deadline. With limited resources and competing priorities, finding a solution that balances efficiency, equity, and feasibility will undoubtedly require careful negotiation and compromise.
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