Audio clip
Paul Hendricks
The Signal Mountain Town Council on Monday agreed — reluctantly — to join the county’s unified 911 emergency dispatch system.
“The cost of doing it ourselves would be prohibitive; this is about as good as we can get,” Mayor Paul Hendricks said.
Council members had originally balked when told how much the original 911 Unification Agreement to provide service for Chattanooga, East Ridge, Hamilton County, Collegedale, Red Bank and Signal Mountain would cost.
That original unification agreement would have raised Signal Mountain’s annual payment for dispatch service nearly 300 percent increase, from $28,797 annually to $99,005, according to Town Attorney Phil Noblett.
Signal Mountain, along with Collegedale and Red Bank, united to oppose such substantial increases and negotiated a contract that spreads the higher fee over a four-year period, officials said.
Collegedale and Red Bank approved the revised rate plan earlier this month.
Representatives of Hamilton County, Chattanooga and East Ridge combined their dispatch services in January. Those two municipalities will lower their annual costs with the consolidated service while it will cost the county about $150 each year.
Councilman Bill Lusk said he was not satisfied because the town will be charged what amounts to a different per-call rate as compared to that being paid by some.
Signal Mountain is being charged $10.57 per call while other cities and the unincorporated parts of the county are billed at $8 per call.
“We’re paying twice,” Mr. Lusk said.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department had provided dispatch services for municipalities, but that is no longer possible with consolidated service, officials said.
The cost to establish and operate an independent dispatch service could require purchasing equipment, at great expense, plus the cost of hiring at five or more people to provide round-the-clock staffing, Interim Town Manager Lynn Wampler advised the council.
“The numbers don’t work in our favor,” he said.
