Minutes - 08/01/2011 - Committee of the WholeMINUTES OF THE AUGUST 1, 2011 REGULAR COMMITTEE
OF THE WHOLE MEETING OF THE VILLAGE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK APPROVED AS
WRITTEN ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2011.
CALL TO ORDER
The Regular Committee of the Whole Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees was
called to order by President Gopal Lalmalani in the Samuel E. Dean Board Room of the
Butler Government Center at 7:05 p.m.
2. ROLL CALL
Village Clerk Charlotte Pruss called the roll with the following persons:
PRESENT: President Gopal Lalmalani, Trustees Gerald Wolin and Elaine Zannis.
ABSENT: Trustees Stelios Aktipis (arrived at 7:10 pm), Michael Manzo, Mark Moy, and
Asif Yusuf (arrived at 7:45 pm)
A quorum was not reached until 7:10 pm.
IN ATTENDANCE: David Niemeyer, Village Manager; Blaine Wing, Assistant Village
Manager; Robert Kallien, Community Development Director, Thomas McEllin, Fire
Chief; and Steve Larson, Police Department Consultant
3. CONSOLIDATED DISPATCH ISSUE
President Lalmalani stated the purpose of the meeting is to discuss and debate the
consolidated dispatch issue. He also stated that no action will be taken at the meeting.
Manager Niemeyer stated that the consolidated dispatch issue has been the subject of some
discussion in the last several years. He stated that dispatching services have been
undergoing a trend of consolidation of centers. He stated that there are advantages and
disadvantages to consolidation. He further stated that Assistant Manager Wing will do a
presentation on the consolidated dispatch issue, we will hear from other communities who
consolidated their centers, and also from Du -Comm.
The presentation given by Assistant Manager Wing covered the following:
• To Consolidate or Not
• General Information about Emergency Telephone Systems Board (ETSB)
• General Information about Oak Brook's Communication Center
• Oak Brook Communication Center Employee Duties
• Nationwide Trend to Consolidate
• DuPage County Communities Who Have Consolidated
• Current Options
1. Status Quo — Mix of Village Employees and NorComm
2. Village Employees Only — Additional Employees and Equipment ($300,000
Additional Annual Cost)
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3. Du -Comm — Join a Consolidated Center
• Stay and Pay More Money for More Employees and Upgrade Equipment or Go and
Reduce Costs and Improve Services
• Option Costs
1. Option #1 - $1.05 Million (2012)
2. Option #2 - $1.2+ Million (2012)
3. Option #3 - $775,000 (2012)
Woodridge Police Chief Heron discussed the following on their experience with Dispatch
Consolidation:
• First Efforts for Consolidation in July 1996
• December 2006 Established South DuPage Consolidated Dispatch Group
• Having Telecommunicators Only Dispatch is Safer and Cost Effective
• Fears of Centralization
1. Lose Control
2. Will Receive Less Services
3. Poor Service for Police Officers, Fire Fighters, and Medics
4. Reduction in Service to Residents
5. They Won't Know our Town
6. Fear of the Unknown
• Discussed Consolidation with Du -Comm in December 2009
• Discovered Du -Comm Policies and Procedures had Changed
• October 2010 Village Board Made Decision to Move to Du -Comm
• Du -Comm Set Up Bi- Weekly Meetings with Agencies
• Discussed Changeover
• Assigned a Sergeant to Oversee the Changes
• Deputy Chief Assigned to Procedural and Personnel Changes
• Du -Comm Telecommunicators Ride Along with Officers Prior to Move
• Once Move was Close, Meetings Went to Weekly Meetings
• What Did Woodridge Need to Do
1. Move Alarms to Du -Comm
2. Design and Implement a After Hours Drop Box
3. Expand Pass Card Door Entry System to Building
4. Modify the In -House CCTV System
5. Change the Outdoor Emergency Weather Sirens
6. Remote Openers for Booking Room Garage Doors
7. Develop In -Car Paging for Command Pages
8. Secure the Front Doors of the Police Station
9. Telephone to Du -Comm in Lobby, 24 Hour Access
10. Installed Du -Comm Phone by Records, During Business Hours
11. Move Fax Machines from Radio Room
12.Modify the Cell Block Speaker System
13. Develop a FAQ Section for Village Web Page
14.Develop a Phone Tree for Phone System
15. Develop Plan to Move Designated Phone Lines to Du -Comm
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16.Join Radio Frequencies with Darien and Lisle (Du -Comm Handled)
17. Train all Employees in Du -Comm Procedures
18. Work with Public Works and Village Hall on Procedural Changes
19.Move Took Place on June 7, 2011
20.Du -Comm had Radio Technicians at the PD During the Changeover
21.Du-Comm had Telecommunicator at PD During Changeover
22.A Stand By Radio was Installed in the Radio Room
23. AT &T 9 -1 -1 at Station for Cutover
24.Officers Saw No Significant Changes in Operations
25. Residents Saw No Significant Changes
What's Different in Woodridge
1. Records and Administrative Staff Handle "0" Out Calls During the Day
2. Staff Handle Overnight Parking During Hours of Operation, Du -Comm
Handles During Off Hours
3. Staff Handle Animal Calls During Hours of Operation, Du -Comm Handles
During Off Hours
4. Du -Comm enters all L.E.A.D.S.
5. Front Door Automatically Lock at 4:30 PM and Open at 8:00 AM
6. Officers Develop an Electronic "Roll Call" Book
7. After Hours, Calls are Answered by Du -Comm or go to a Voicemail
Challenges
1. Current Telecommunicators
2. Learning Du -Comm Policies
3. Needed to Make Changes to Phone Tree
4. How L.E.A.D.S. and CHRI are Handled/Printed
5. Monitoring of Radio Repeaters and Receivers
6. During Recent Storms, it Took a Bit Longer to Decipher Radio Problems or
Building Electrical Problems
7. Use of Agency Radio Alpha Characters
8. Co- Existing with Other Agencies
9. Officers Need To Do Their Own Work
10. Getting to Know Du -Comm, Du -Comm Getting to Know Woodridge
I I. Use of Plain Language
What Would Be Done Differently
1. Attempt to Identify Phone Line Transfer Issues Sooner (Call One, AT &T,
and In -House Phones)
2. More PR on Use of 9 -1 -1
3. More Training for Offices and Other Police Personnel on Policy, and UCR
Coding/Closing of Calls
Knowing What We Know Now, Would We Make the Same Decision? Answer is
Yes
York Center Fire Protection District Chief Andy Bonomo stated they have been a life time
member of Du -Comm. He gave a brief history of his involvement with Du- Command, and
the processes and procedures that are followed. He stated there are three things he expects:
1) Courtesy, 2) Quick Response, and 3) Professionalism. He further stated that Du -Comm
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does a terrific job and that there are a lot of things that Du -Comm already does for many
communities.
Brian Tegtmeyer, Executive Director of Du -Comm, and John Ferraro, Deputy Director of
Du -Comm gave a brief overview of Du -Comm:
• Professional and Experienced Management Team
• History & Vision
1. Du -Comm is a Unit of Local Government
2. Du -Comm is a Public Safety Answering Point
3. Not a Part of DuPage County
4. Largest Consolidated Center in Illinois
5. Created in 1975 to Provide a Centralized Communication Center for the NE
and NW Areas of DuPage County
6. Vision is to be the Leading Dispatch Center Through Partnership With Our
Member Agencies in Setting Standards for Quality Dispatching, Pride,
Professionalism, and Innovative Services Within Organization and
Infrastructure
Organizational Structure
1. Three Departments (Operations, Support Services, Administration)
2. Internal Structure
3. External Structure
• Members of Du -Comm
1. Sixteen Police Departments
2. Eighteen Fire Departments
3. Serves Population of 750,000 People
4. Within DuPage County, but Small Portions in Cook, Kane and Will
Counties
• Communications
1. Communications Center is Divided into Two Sections, Police and Fire
2. All On -Duty Telecommunicators
3. Seven Police Channels
4. Four Fire Channels
5. Additional Staff for Back -Up
6. Operations Manager Typically on Duty
7. Taking a 9 -1 -1 Call
8. Processing the CAD (Computer Aid Dispatch) Ticket
9. Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) is Fully Licensed
10. Training — All Employees Complete a Structured Training Program and
Ongoing Education Training
I LMABAS Communications
12.Monitor Severe Weather
• Statistics
1. Process over 1,000,000 Calls a Year
2. Generate almost 500,000 CAD Incidents a Year
3. Dispatched over 30 MABAS Alarms a Year
• Systems
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• Other Functions
1. Technical Services
2. Support Services — MIS
3. HR — Recruitment and Extensive Hiring Process
4. Tactical Dispatch
5. Public Education/Relations
• Facility Tour
Assistant Manager Wing stated that staff s recommendation is to join Du -Comm.
Trustee Aktipis asked Assistant Manager Wing for a cost analysis on other services that
our current telecommunicators handle that will not be handled by Du -Comm.
Trustee Aktipis also asked how Du -Comm will handle a natural disaster or a large scale
emergency versus if we had our own Communication Center. John from Du -Comm stated
the benefit with being part of Du -Comm is the integrated incident command. He stated
Du -Comm will prioritize the response with all the resources available to them.
Resident Tony Dicanio expressed his disapproval of moving to a consolidated dispatch
center and asked the Board to keep the Communication Center in house. He praised the
current Communication Center staff and stated only Du -Comm will benefit from a move.
Resident Bill Linderman stated cost should not be a factor when it comes to emergency
services. He stated the advantage of a faster response outweigh all other factors.
Resident George Kouba stated 24/7 for a public entity is very difficult. He expressed his
approval of the Village moving to Du -Comm.
Trustee Wolin stated he has been a supporter of moving to Du -Comm for the last four
years. He stated there are many advantages to moving to Du -Comm.
Trustee Zannis stated that the Board needs to be very thoughtful and considerate in making
this decision.
Trustee Zannis had a few questions regarding the Woodridge transition.
Trustee Zannis asked Du -Comm for the following:
• Copy of the Presentation
• Copy of their Budget
• Progress of a Du -Comm Single Back -Up Center Facility
• Studies Performed on Space and Needs Analysis
• List of Board Members
Trustee Zannis stated that thought needs to be given to outsourcing the Comm Center and
the perception of residents.
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Trustee Yusuf stated it boils down to the level of service. He does not want to see that
level compromised. He also stated he would like to tour Du -Comm to properly evaluate
things before he makes a decision.
Du -Comm stated they think it's important for the Trustees to tour the facilities.
Trustee Zannis asked Du -Comm who is their biggest competition. Du -Comm stated that
they do not see themselves in competition with anyone and they strive to be the best at
what they do.
President Lalmalani asked Trustee Wolin if Du -Comm is the only Consolidated Center in
the area.
Trustee Wolin stated there is Norcomm in Cook County and Southwest in DuPage County.
He stated Du -Comm is the best solution in his opinion. He also stated the list of
advantages to joining Du -Comm far exceeds the list of disadvantages.
Resident George Klein asked Assistant Manager Wing what options are no longer
available to Oak Brook.
Assistant Manager Wing stated some of the other facilities no longer have the capacity for
us to join.
Resident George Klein asked Woodridge why they close their doors at 4:30 pm. Police
Chief Heron stated that decision was made in cooperation with the Board of Trustees. He
also stated there have not been any issues with this decision so far.
Acting Police Chief Steve Larson stated that his point of view is to do what is best for the
Village and to provide the best service to our residents, business community and
employees.
Fire Chief McEllin stated that the level of service will be enhanced not compromised, if
Oak Brook joined Du -Comm. Du -Comm has better technology and better training than
what we currently have.
Trustee Aktipis commented before the Board makes a decision, further cost analysis need
to be done for all the options open to Oak Brook.
Trustee Zannis recommended a Police Chief be hired prior to making a decision to join
Du -Comm.
Manager Niemeyer stated that there is a bit of urgency in making this decision. He stated
he supports joining Du -Comm due to better service and technology. He also stated that
joining Du -Comm is a proactive move that is progressive and can help financially.
Trustee Zannis stated she does not agree that the service will be better if we join Du-
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Comm. She stated the Village needs to decide if it's willing to fund an outstanding in-
house Communication Center.
President Lalmalani asked Du -Comm what are the negatives of joining. Brian stated there
are things that they need to do better. He also stated one negative is the change in
relationship between telecommunicators and officers /firefighters. He also stated the pros
of joining Du -Comm.
Les Antos, a Communication Center employee, asked the Board what the employees are
doing wrong to make the Board think they will get better service by joining Du -Comm.
Chief McEllin stated the problems with the current Communication Center are the lack of
training in emergency medical dispatch, lack of detection and notification time, and a few
other items.
President Lalmalani asked for an example of response times. Chief Mcellin gave an
example and Du -Comm stated that they cannot speed up response times.
Assistant Manager Wing stated it is not an easy decision. At this point, the current
Communication Center is a B to B- rating and part of the reason it isn't higher is because
of previous Board decisions and cuts. He stated staff will get the additional information
requested in order for the Board to make the best decision for the Village.
President Lalmalani thanked the residents, guests, and staff for making significant
contributions to the discussion. He stated this is going to be a difficult decision.
4. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Trustee Yusuf,
Whole Meeting at 9:35 pm.
ATTEST:
/s/ Charlotte K. Pruss
Charlotte K. Pruss
Village Clerk
seconded by Trustee Wolin to adjourn the Committee of the
VOICE VOTE: Motion carried.
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