A public meeting to discuss the findings of a feasibility study on consolidating the Mansfield and Richland County 9-1-1 dispatching centers was held Monday evening at the Longview Center in Mansfield.

Representatives of Richland County's villages, townships and their safety forces attended the meeting.

The feasibility study was conducted by the Center for Public Management in the College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and was paid for by Richland County.
 

Project manager Daila Shimek said the study projects a cost savings of about $124,000 for Mansfield and Richland County to combine dispatching centers.

Some of the officials in attendance said consolidating their 9-1-1 dispatch operations into one center would not save as much money as reported in the study. The officials said their 9-1-1 dispatchers do more than just handle 9-1-1 calls.

"Based on the criteria developed by the group, we determined that it was feasible. There is not going to be an huge cost savings after you look at the time it takes to move the project forward. The first couple of years you could even lose money because you have people spending time on the consolidation," Shimek said.

"The study showed consolidating the 9-1-1 dispatch center would provide service that is equal or better than current levels," Shimek said.

If the Shelby, Ontario, and Lexington police departments join the consolidation, the savings would increase by several hundred thousand dollars.

Shimek said the study will be revised with any new information from the subdivisions about the 9-1-1 consolidation.

The next step would be the formation of a 9-1-1 Technical Advisory Committee to develop plans and cost estimates for the consolidation.

Then the commissioners, city and village councils, and township trustees must vote on the plan.