CCP 06-14-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 2 of3 I'm not exactly sure I know what "subscriber" means, but I believe that via our contracts with Lake Johanna Fire Department and Ramsey County Sheriffs Department, we as a . City support the 800 MHz project and would be end users via those contracts. Potentially we would also have additional use for 800 MHz in the O&M Department, but we would likely not review that option until after the system has been built and implemented. I believe we support and want to participate in the project. My only concern is what "subscriber" means, in terms of the City's role in the governance of the system. I would recommend that we advocate strongly for having some means to have a role in decision making for dispatch operations. · What is your jurisdiction's preferred dispatch option for operation by mid-200S? I do not feel comfortable recommending a response to this question at this time. I believe that there are viable options that have not been put "on the table." One example is to operate a St. Paul PSAP, a suburban PSAP, and have Maplewood and White Bear Lake consolidate their existing PSAPs. There are other possible options. In addition to there being additional options, I think we need more information in order to appropriately answer this question. Significant concerns have been raised about having one consolidated PSAP center for all of Ramsey County. First, there is the issue of redundancy. I think this is an important issue and in order to achieve redundancy, a minimum of two PSAP's may make more sense. Second, there are some significant differences in the way the existing PSAP's operate that may make it very difficult to consolidate into one PSAP. In addition, I don't . believe it is an absolute certainty that cost savings would occur. Another concern with one consolidated center is the governance issue, and how much of a voice the suburbs would have in guiding the operations of the center. It has been asserted that the St. Paul PSAP is currently understaffed. If that is true, then an additional concern would be the effect on service levels if a consolidation took place, and the costs to address the staffing issues (and who would pay for those costs?) · Are there any contingencies or conditions that would make another option acceptable? If so, what are the conditions by option? · This new system will be in operation for a number of years. Is there an option other than your preferred option that you might consider in the future? Given the discussion above I don't believe we are prepared to respond regarding specific dispatch options at this time. · Are there any of the five options that are not acceptable at all? Given the concerns about operating one consolidated center as discussed above, we may want to indicate that this is a lesser-favored option, or at a minimum that we would need a lot of questions answered. Overall I don't believe we are prepared to select a favored option at this time without more information and discussion. .