ADOPTED - SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

Agenda Item No. 39

Introduced by the Law Enforcement Committee of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE PROCEEDING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT TO SHARE IN THE COST OF NEW PHONE TECHNOLOGY AND TO DEVELOP VIRTUAL BACK-UP CAPABILITES

RESOLUTION #09-317

WHEREAS, the Counties of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham and Livingston all need to upgrade their 911 phone systems in order to take advantage of internet protocol technology; and

WHEREAS, each County also needs to develop emergency back-up E-9-1-1 capabilities in the event of primary system failure; and

WHEREAS, each County wishes to work collaboratively in order to reduce costs and provide for interconnectivity between Counties; and

WHEREAS, working together each County has the opportunity to not only save in the purchase and maintenance costs of a new phone system, but also forgo the capital costs of building a physical E-9-1-1 back-up center in each County.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, by this Resolution, the attached Position Paper does hereby authorize the County Controller/Administrator to pursue an Intergovernmental Agreement with Eaton, Clinton and Livingston Counties in order to share in the cost of new phone technology and to develop virtual back-up capabilities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that preliminary cost and feasibility information will be required in order to proceed, and by the adoption of this Resolution each County agrees to share equally in the cost of acquiring this information. 

LAW ENFORCEMENT:  Yeas:  Holman, Celentino, Copedge

Nays:  None         Absent:  Schor, Schafer     Approved 9/10/09

POSITION PAPER

In the near future, an intergovernmental agreement will need to be developed, and agreed upon by all County Board of Commissioners.  For now, a Resolution that each County Board of Commissioners will need to agree to that covers the proposed goals and objectives below.  The purpose of the Resolution is only to confirm that the County desires to proceed with the concept and development of virtual back-up functionality for the participating Counties to share an I/P 9-1-1 solution.

 All four Counties agree:

1.        To use the number of access points, e.g. dispatcher positions, in determining respective Counties’ costs.

2.        Share the cost of the purchase and installation of an I/P 9-1-1 phone solution among the Counties that select the same vendor.

· Assure compatibility if different vendors' solutions are purchased by one or more counties that they meet the common need of regional interoperability.

3.         Counties with the same I/P solution have equal input in the selection of a vendor to provide long-term service.

 4.        Host and client counties are equal.

Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties:  All three counties have voice radio interoperability because of the COPS IT Grant.  Eaton and Clinton Counties have the same CAD vendor and with an I/P phone solution, the following is possible.

1.         Agree to the concept of virtual back-up functionality between the three Counties' PSAPs.

2.         Agree that each PSAP will commit at least two dispatcher positions to be utilized as back-up dispatcher positions by the other PSAP in the event of an evacuation or any other emergency taking a PSAP out-of-service at its primary location.

3.         Building access, usage, liability concerns, etc. will be resolved in the development of the Intergovernmental Agreement.

The benefits of virtual back-up functionality is a huge savings for each participating County as it eliminates the need to build, equip, train telecommunicators, and exercise a separate back-up PSAP.  Minimum net savings per County is over $1.2 million, plus the on-going training and exercising of the back-up center as well as equipment service agreements.

When a primary dispatch center is forced to vacate their operation and move to their back-up center, their calls for service are transfer to their County's alternate PSAP.  Their radio dispatches may be "off the air" during the move.  Once staff arrives at the back-up operation, they must start-up the equipment, causing additional delay in answering calls for help. The proposed I/P virtual back-up collaboration should result in no loss of service for our citizens and public safety personnel, as the neighboring primary dispatch operation(s) could absorb, for a short period of time, the calls from the distressed center.

Again, the above are PROPOSED goals and objectives for the initial discussions on this matter.