Work by Matthew Stone

April 5, 2009

A dozen communities in Kennebec County have jumped ship and are relying on the Somerset County Communications Center to handle 911 calls.

The northerly shift for emergency call services comes as towns struggle to absorb a rate increase from the state-operated Central Maine Regional Communications Center in Augusta.

Augusta-area municipalities expect to pay $3.54 per resident, starting July 1, to receive emergency call services from the state-run dispatch center. That's a jump from the current per-capita rate of $2.50.

The Somerset center, in Skowhegan, charges most municipalities $1.75 per resident. Towns with their own emergency dispatching capacity are charged $1 per resident.

"We're providing a service at the least possible cost to the other towns," said Mike Smith, communications director at the Somerset County Communications Center.

Twelve of the 29 Kennebec County municipalities have now elected to use Somerset services. Two others, Manchester and Wayne, have taken the first steps toward making that change.

Albion, Waterville and Winslow, which changed to Somerset in December 2007, were the first Kennebec County municipalities to switch. Fayette and Oakland are recent additions, Smith said.

Closer to Augusta, Readfield selectmen this week approved the changeover to Somerset.

"As long as this is an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of service, why would we not take the cheaper option?" said Readfield Town Manager Stefan Pakulski.

The Somerset County Communications Center will charge Readfield approximately $4,500 to answer emergency calls over the next year. Staying with the Regional Communications Center in Augusta would have cost the town more than $9,000.

Readfield — like other Kennebec County towns that have contracts with Somerset County — will rely on Somerset simply to answer 911 calls.

If an emergency call from Readfield, for example, requires a police response, dispatchers in Skowhegan will connect callers with dispatchers in Augusta. The call will be routed to Winthrop dispatchers if it concerns fire or ambulance.

Readfield will maintain contracts with the Regional Communications Center in Augusta to dispatch police officers and with the Winthrop Communications Center to dispatch fire and ambulance services.

Increases in emergency dispatch rates took effect last year as a 2003 law was implemented.

The law consolidated Maine's 48 Public Safety Answering Points, or PSAPs — the locations set up to accept 911 calls — into 26.

The four state-run 911 centers are in Augusta, Gray, Houlton and Orono. Others are run by county and local governments.

"I really do believe that there were some unintended consequences from the whole trying to consolidate PSAP services," Manchester Town Manager Mark Doyon said.

The Kennebec County dispatch center — which served 21 Augusta-area municipalities — closed in January 2008 as the consolidation took place. Most Kennebec County dispatching shifted to the state-run Regional Communications Center in Augusta.

The Maine Department of Public Safety attributed rate increases to the costs of relocating a telecommunications tower in Orono and increased pay for dispatchers.

The state pays nearly $109,000 annually to employ an emergency dispatcher, according to documents the Department of Public Safety filed with the Maine Public Utilities Commission. That amount includes salary, benefits, overtime and other communication center operating costs.

"The state is very, very good in determining how much it costs to put someone behind that desk, and how everyone should share in a portion of those costs," said Kennebec County Administrator Robert Devlin, who sits on the Maine Communication Systems Policy Board which oversees budgeting for the four state-operated dispatch centers.

By comparison, Somerset County pays $71,000 annually to employ a dispatcher, according to Smith, the Somerset director.

As more Kennebec County municipalities sign contracts with Somerset County, less revenue is flowing the state's way.

That won't affect the rates charged to municipalities still using the state-run 911 service, said Clifford Wells, director of the Department of Public Safety's Consolidated Emergency Communications Bureau.

But, Wells said, a decline in revenue will likely force layoffs at the Regional Communications Center in Augusta.

"Probably come July, we'll have to reduce," he said.

Matthew Stone — 623-3811, ext. 435
mstone@centralmaine.com