When it comes to finding ways to pay for vital services such as 911 call centers, city, state and county governments are finding they need to think outside the box. New Haven, IN, authorities recently announced that it will cost more than $100,000 to upgrade its 911 call center and because of that, the city has had to petition its resident county for the cash. At the same time, city authorities want to make sure that their call center stays separate from the Fort Wayne-Allen County 911 call center.
Call centers and phone call services that are run by local governments can be quite costly. When dealing with local authorities, more than one call center has turned toward a model that mirrors small and enterprise level businesses. These businesses have found that VoIP-based call centers are able to save money in the long run while also being more flexible when growth is needed.
The upgrade to the New Haven call center has a “must complete” date of January 15, 2014. If the city has not funded and completed the upgrades by that time, emergency calls from city residents will be routed to the county 911 center in downtown Fort Wayne.
When it comes to the money being needed for this new upgrade, there are some on the county board who wonder why New Haven is asking for money at all. At one point a somewhat heated exchange sparked up between New Haven Police Chief Steve Poiry and Tim Lee, the director of the 911 center.
Lee claimed that Poiry had told the county board that New Haven would be able to pay for the city’s 911 call center upgrades by itself. Lee also pointed out that the board had managed to get the upgrades guaranteed at half price. Poiry responded by saying that New Haven had never claimed it could pay for the call center by itself. Poiry said the city had also invested in the police department’s new radios.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson