ARE STARK COUNTY'S 9-1-1 GURUS COSTING COUNTY TAXPAYERS MILLIONS?

(LINK TO SOURCE

OF UNDERLYING GRAPHIC)

VIDEOS

9-1-1 PROJECT MGR
JOSEPH CONCATTO
ON
STATUS
OF
STARK CO. EMERGENCY FORCE
RADIOS 
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COUNTY COMMISSIONER
THOMAS BERNABEI
ON
STATUS 
OF
STARK CO. EMERGENCY FORCE
RADIOS
 

Not long ago The Stark County Political Blog did a number of blogs which question whether or not Stark County commissioners (Bernabei, Creighton and Regula), in awarding a nearly $2 million Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) contract to New World will cost Stark County's taxpayers $1 million plus over more or less locally (i.e. Cuyahoga County) available competition.

List of blogs:

• Part 1, August 8, 2014,
• Part 2, August 13, 2014,
• Part 3, August 18, 2014

Since the publication of those blogs, it has come to light in commissioner meetings that there are indeed savings to be made on aspects of the New World contract by the commissioners not buying certain parts of the CAD or CAD integrally related system that offer some evidence that the SCPR may be onto something in terms of the commissioners not getting the "best bang for the buck" for Stark County taxpayers as they seek to upgrade Stark emergency services capability.

Let the SCPR be clear.  At this stage of the SCPR's ongoing examination of how the county is going about the upgrading, The Report is not suggesting bad motives in what appears to be less than thorough scrutiny of available systems in the context of getting the upgrade done in the most frugal advantage of Stark County taxpayer dollars.s

In addition to the award of the CAD upgrade to New World, Stark County commissioners are looking at (i.e. Thomas Bernabei is spearheading as the chairman of the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) executive committee) ways and means of upgrading the county's emergency services two way communication radio system to the best advantage of county taxpayers, and, of course, for the benefit of Stark Countians in need of emergency fire, police and medical services.

In discussing Stark's emergency services radio system, a good beginning point is 9-1-1 CAD Project Manager Joe Concatto's description where Stark County "currently" is on the "fast getting-out-of date" emergency (i.e. fire, police and paramedic services to everyday Stark Countians) radio system.

Here is a video of his remarks to the SCOG executive committee at it regular bi-monthly November 11, 2014 meeting.



In an interview with the SCPR at the end of the same SCOG meeting at which "time is of the essence" impending need for Stark County to upgrade its emergency radio system was discussed, Bernabei revealed that he envisioned that it would take at least $6 million to do the needed radio upgrade before Motorola quits servicing the current system in three, four or so years.



The Stark County Political Report over the nearly seven years of this blog's existence has sat in as a journalist on many public discussions of the radio patchwork that now plagues area fire, police and emergency ambulances services. 

The Report thinks the current deficient radio inter-Stark County communications could be "a disaster in waiting" should a countywide (i.e. involving multiple villages, cities and townships) emergency manifest itself in the county's immediate future.

From all that the SCPR has learned, it seems that:

• the most responsible way, 
• the most prudent way, and, in the longer term,
• the most efficient way 

for Stark to deal with the current helter-skelter, patchwork radio system that potentially could impact negatively on any Stark County resident  is:

• the State of Ohio MARCS system.

But right now that possibility seems to be meeting local government resistance.

Notwithstanding the SCPR's skepticism that the MARCS alternative has countywide fire department, police department and emergency medical forces support, MARCS appears - according to the Bernabei - to be part of the discussion.

The Report thinks MARCS should be more than a discussion.

It seems to be the best and only reliable way to go - going forward.

Any other direction would a major mistake in the making, so the SCPR thinks.

From what sense the SCPR can make of current considerations of which way to go;  many village, city and township officials are thinking about a more localized radio system.

The first preference seems to be a Stark County/Canton city government system.

However, Concatto's $10 to $20 million number is at about the $20 million mark for a Stark County only system.

Involving Stark County agencies of government integrating with a Summit County system might be realistic at $10 millon.

But take a look at what Summit County is saying about its own system: (restructured for clarity sake)

This system is absolutely critical to first responders’ ability to respond to emergency calls quickly and to communicate with each other during a crisis.  

Unfortunately, by the end of 2018:

• the County must upgrade the system to be P-25 compliant due to advances in technology. 
• The County has estimate the probable cost to upgrade the system to be:
• $30.8 million
•  - $13 million for the network infrastructure, 
• -$2.7 million for the dispatch consoles and
• $15.1 million for the radios.

Unfortunately, the County, the City of Akron and most of the other communities in Summit County do not have the funds necessary to upgrade the system. 

Again, without this system, the ability for fire, police and EMS to respond and communicate with each other becomes dangerously difficult. However, the County is proposing to use a portion of Issue 12 [SCPR Note:  which failed in the November 4th election] to fund the needed $30.8 million in upgrades, and to use that money in the future for upgrades that become necessary due to advances in technology. 

Without these funds, cash-strapped communities may have to make further cuts to safety sources in order to keep the system operational.

Take a look at this graphic at what Summit County officials say on their website what the cost of an upgrade could be to Summit County local governments:

The SCPR asks this question.

Is working out a connection with Summit County a likely viable alternative?

To the SCPR, the answer with the failure of Summit's levy is a resounding "no."

The only viable alternatives are going with Ohio's MARCS or for Stark County to go it alone.

The Report's take is that Bernabei's projected $6 million cost to Stark County taxpayers is based on piggybacking onto Ohio's MARCS.  And $6 million is likely too rosy of an expectation.

A year ago or so MARCS personnel approached Stark County (through Concatto) to be "the first of all Ohio counties" to join in with MARCS.

But the likes of Concatto, former SCOG governance board chairman Randy Gonzalez and others within the Stark County fire, police and medical emergency forces community were skittish about doing so and in the end Stark County neglected to pursue and persist which the SCPR thinks was a failure on the part of local safety forces leadership.

The Report thinks "being the first"  was a terrific opportunity which due to conservative Stark County leadership is now "a lost opportunity" to get in on the ground floor perhaps at a cost savings.

Stark County went through one gigantic and horrific financial/fiscal crisis in the period 2010 through 2012.  With the passage of a 1/2 sales tax levy in November, 2011, the county has slowly climbed out of the depths of financial despair.

But in 2019 the levy expires and county officials will have to provide a justification to Stark Countians to continue if not increase the sales tax.

With the looming emergency radio communications problem, the SCPR does not think the county can wait until 2019.

Look for rumblings to begin soon about creating some sort of alternative to the 2011 passed sales tax.

In the Concatto video, note Gonzalez's interest in levy efforts designed to deal with the expense of upgrading radio systems.

As things stand now, The Report sees that "there-is-no-way-in-Hell" that the commissioners can wrestle even $6 million out of current annual county budgeting over the next several years IF the MARCS or Summit County emergency radio infrastructure were used to lessen the cost to Stark County taxpayers.

Remember, $6 million is likely too optimistic of a cost factor to Stark County.

If the county is intent on going alone, it will take millions more and a 1/2 cent sales tax levy is not going to cut it.

It would be a blunder of major proportions for county officials to head in this direction.

Such a measure will not pass in Stark County and to embark on such a path would be lost time in integrating with MARCS during which Stark better be lucky in not experiencing a local emergency catastrophic-esque event.

The SCPR sees evidence that county commissioners have gone on a "spending spree" over the past year or so.

The point?

Stark County putting aside $6 million over the next few years to use in upgrading the county's radio system in light of the spending spree seems to be a pipe dream, no?

Without going back to examining the "crossed-t's" and the "dotted i's," the commissioners have - so the SCPR thinks - made a series of questionable expenditures.

To name a few:

• Hiring both a county administrator and a county budget director to replace Mike Hanke who did both jobs,
• Hiring of an attorney (David Bridenstine) mostly for the commissioners themselves but with some spill over to other county departments who need tailored legal services,
• Hiring of a Human Resources Director who has limited authority to deal with hiring, firing and related matter within departments of county government managed by independent (of the commissioners) elected officials, and
• the purchase at the cost of nearly $3,000 of two monitors for placement in the Stark County commissioners meeting room not because they were essential, but because they are convenient.

Again, the list includes "only a few" of such expenditures.

Unfortunately, in last month's election, Republican commissioner Janet Creighton ran unopposed.

She should have had to answer questions on county government operations and capital expenditures (of which there are many) put to her by a Democratic Party opponent.

But former Dems chairman Gonzalez "apparently" was unable to recruit anybody to run.

Gonzalez is a guy who likes to tout himself in having been a public servant, one who has been well compensated - to be sure.

Not finding someone to run against Creighton is hardly a public service.

Commissioners Bernabei and Creighton were - on being originally elected - in November, 2010 "a breath of fresh air."

It is now appearing more and more to the SCPR that they are drifting towards the kinds of commissioners Stark County used to have.

Our government system is "a check and balance" system that relies on political competition, inquiring journalists and everyday citizens putting the tough questions to our leaders.

So the final question of today's blog - which Commissioner Bernabei was unable to answer- is where is the $6 million coming from in "a best case scenario," and "in a worse case scenario," where will Stark County find possibly needed millions more ($4 to $14 million) for a state-of-the-art "emergency" radio system?

The discussion concerning the radio upgrade has all the ingredients of turning into an unnecessarily expensive fiasco for Stark County taxpayers.

Heads up, Stark Countians!

A financial bath could be in your future.

PART 3: IS STARK COUNTY OVERPAYING FOR 9-1-1 DISPATCH BECAUSE OF A "FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE?"

Today's blog is Part 3 of an ongoing series wherein The Stark County Political Report continues to raise the question of whether or not Stark County government is overpaying to the tune of $1 million plus for a 9-1-1 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) upgrade.

The focus today is an apparently "lost" communication sent by the mayor of Hartville (Richard Currie) and the Stark County commissioners office, to wit:

From: Richard Currie
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2014 2:04 PM
To: 'tmbernabei@starkcountyohio.gov'
Cc: 'jwcreighton@starkcountyohio.gov'; 'rregula@starkcountyohio.gov'; 'jjconcatto@starkcountyohio.gov'
Subject: Stark County CAD

Tom:

In response to your email of July 22, 2014, the software development costs for Hartville’s TAC RMS system to interface with your proposed CAD system would be $10K.

If, however, the agenda is to save money and increase safety for first responders and the citizens of Stark County, I would ask that you give thoughtful consideration to the proposal that Tom Craven outlined in his letter to Joe Concatto (attached).

The package outlined would cost $12K per PSAP per year, or less than $100K for the whole county. This system would provide CAD, MDT, and RMS for everyone and thus everyone would be on ‘the same page,’ as far as communicating and sharing data. All participating agencies would require MDTs and cellular service, noting that several police agencies in Stark County already utilize some aspects of TAC. This arrangement would be ideal for police, fire, jail, courts, and CJIS.

I endorse Tom’s proposal, as does Hartville Police Chief Larry Dordea.

Thank you,

Rich

Richard A. Currie, Ed.D.
Mayor, Village of Hartville
202 W. Maple St., P.O. Box 760
Hartville, OH 44632
... .

It could be yet another "failure in communications," but the SCPR has inquired of the county commissioners about imput/discussions they may have had with Stark's (non-participating in a countywide 9-1-1 centralized system) political subdivisions.

On Friday immediately passed, The Report received this communication from county Chief Administrator Brant Luther, to wit:

Public Records Request (PRR) re: responses on letter to political subdivisions on 9-1-1 CAD upgrade

        Brant Luther
        Aug 15 at 9:01 AM

To:  Martin Olson

Hello Martin,

After checking, it appears that Commissioners have received phone calls in response to that letter, however it doesn't appear that they have received letters or emails responding to the letter.

Have a good weekend,
Brant

>>> Martin Olson <tramols@att.net> 8/13/2014 7:23 AM >>>

This is a SCPR PRR for electronic versions  (i.e. pdf or equivalent) of responses to the Stark County commissioners in re:  the purchase by the county from New World Systems of a upgraded 9-1-1 CAD system.

Previously you have provided the SCPR a copy (by way of example) of a letter sent under the signature of Commissioner Tom Bernabei to Alliance encouraging Alliance officials to consider joining with Stark County in providing 9-1-1 dispatching services to its citizens.  You will recall that you told me that the same letter was sent out to all Stark County political subdivisions with the only change being the addressee.

Thank you,

MartinOlson/SCPR

• SCPR Note - Commissioners Creighton and Regula's responses (none from Bernabei to-date) to an SCPR request for input they may have had:
• Fw: Public Records Request (PRR) re: responses on letter to political subdivisions on 9-1-1 CAD upgrade
  
          Janet Creighton
          Aug 15 at 11:17 AM
  
  To:  Martin Olson
  
  Martin:
  
  I have not received any calls or mail in regard to the letter.
  
  Janet
  
  >>> Martin Olson <tramols@att.net> 8/15/2014 9:10 AM >>>
  Commissioners Bernabei, Creighton & Regula,
  
  Regarding Brant Luther's response to the SCPR's inquiry, please provide me with a list of names/officials who responded to the referenced letter and a summary of their respective responses.
  
  Thank you,
  
  Martin Olson
  Stark County Political Report
• Fw: Public Records Request (PRR) re: responses on letter to political subdivisions on 9-1-1 CAD upgrade
  
          Richard Regula
          Aug 15 at 11:48 AM
  
  To:  Martin Olson
  
  Martin, I have received no written, e-mail or phone messages in regards to the referenced letter. Thanks Richard

SCPR readers will recall that on July 30, 2014, the Stark County commissioners approved the recommendation of 9-1-1 Project Manager Joseph Concatto and his CAD Project Team that the commissioners use about $1.9 million in Stark County taxpayer money to purchase an upgraded CAD system in the hope that one day Stark County's political subdivisions (villages, cities, townships and boards of education) will come together to form one "highly efficient/effective" Stark County 9-1-1 call receiving/dispatch system with which to process the emergency (i.e. fire, police, ambulance) needs of Stark Countians.

In the July 30th move, the best that Concatto, the CAD Project Team and the commissioners (after five years of mulling it over) achieved was to bring three of Stark's eight (3 of 8) dispatch centers together into one "we hope one day" countywide system.

The three (the Sheriff department's operation, the Canton Communications Center and The Regional Emergency Dispatch (RED) Center) do compose the bulk of Stark's population. They represent (by The Report's calculation) about 80% (population wise) of the county's some 375,000 residents.

But about 75,000 of Stark's residents plus another several thousands who are transient in or traveling through Stark County are not going to be served by the upgraded 80% countywide CAD system when it gets up and running some 9 to 12 months from July 30th.

Some Stark Countians including the SCPR think that, perhaps, the commissioners did not in approving the Concatto/CAD Project Team recommendation.

Moreover, the SCPR's underlying theme in this series of blogs is that there was a failure in communications from Concatto/the CAD Project Team to the commissioners which is the basis of a seeming continuing "failure of communications" which, perhaps, gave birth to and is perpetuating Stark County taxpayers not getting "the best bang for the buck" in upgrading the county's CAD system.

The basis of the suggestion that Stark Countians will be getting "short-shrifted" is a "late" (in fact, last minute - in a formal definition of the word "late") proposal by TAC Computers that apparently would save Stark Countians $1 million plus while providing for all of Stark's needs in terms of CAD system efficiencies, effectiveness, completeness and integration.

What's more, if the TAC proposal would indeed achieve all of the foregoing, then the $1 million plus in savings could go to satisfying the priority of some Stark County emergency responders that rather than purchase a CAD upgrade the county should upgrade its emergency communication infrastructure (i.e. the latest and greatest 800 mhz radio system) so that each and every Stark County based emergency services unit could be in communication with each other in the event of a large (geography-wise) or catastrophic emergency.

Mayor Curie's e-mail response directed to Commissioner Tom Bernabei (the commissioner most intimately involved and most knowledgeable on the county's 9-1-1 system), the SCPR thinks, deserves a response, to wit:

I would ask that you give thoughtful consideration to the proposal that Tom Craven outlined in his letter to Joe Concatto (attached).

The Hartville communication should have reached the recipients (Concatto and the recipients) well before the July 30th decision date and accordingly in making the decision of the 30th Concatto should have volunteered a detailed "substantive" explanation as to why the TAC Computer should not be considered.

Failing Concatto, addressing in public, Mayor Currie's request; the commissioners having been privy to the mayor's communication, should have drawn Concatto out on "the substance" of the TAC proposal as compared to those of the three other proposals under consideration before the commissioners decided to go with New World Systems.

In addition to the e-mail exchanges, the SCPR is told that there was a face-to-face meeting between Bernabei, Concatto and Mayor Curie and that Commissioner Bernabei seemed surprised at the relations made about some the points in regards to the quality, scope and integration of the TAC Computer System all for a much lesser price.

The SCPR thinks that in light of the Hartville communication and the failure of it to be addressed in the Concatto July 30th presentation, the commissioners should have a work session which includes all the primary players to delve into the processes whereby the TAC Computer proposal was not considered.

The suggested probe is not about TAC Computer.

Rather it needs to focus on whether or not in making the award for a 9-1-1 CAD system the commissioners (under the advice and counsel of Concatto and the CAD Project Team) made a choice in the overall best interests of Stark Countians.

Commissioners Thomas Bernabei and Janet Creighton made a name for themselves in vastly improving the democratic processes of Stark County government when they were elected commissioners in November, 2010.

As a consequence of their democratizing actions (one of which was the institution of "work sessions" on Monday and Tuesday of each week) in response to what local civic activist and attorney Craig T. Conley termed as being "Zeiglergate," (April 2009, through October, 2011) and other inadequately dealt with county government problems (e.g. a prior board of commissioners having "imposed" a 0.5% sales tax in December, 2008); Bernabei and Creighton,beginning in January, 2011, were able to recover Stark Countians' confidence in county government so that in November, 2011 Stark County voters gave a solid approval to an increase from 0% to 0.5% in the form of a county sales tax.

Such was quite an achievement.

The SCPR sees a work session review on the substance of the excluded TAC proposal as being in line with what Bernabei and Creighton have stood for in terms of trying to do what is best for Stark Countians.

It seems to The Report that Concatto and his CAD Project Team "stood on ceremony" (i.e. opted "form over substance") in casting aside the TAC Computer proposal.

And there may indeed be reasons why the New World System is worth a $1 million plus more to the safety, well-being and emergency services response capability to Stark Countians.

But so far, The Stark County Political Report and others believe that the case has not been made by Concatto et al.

The Report appeals to the commissioners to convene a work session(s) to get to the bottom of this matter and thereby reassure Stark Countians that they - the commissioners - have, in fact, provided for the safety of Stark Countians in a adequately frugal way.

(VIDEOS: BURGASSER, GONZALEZ & CONCATTO) IS JOE CONCATTO'S DREAM OF A STARK CO. CENTRALIZED DISPATCH "FAR-FETCHED?"

UPDATED:  09:00 AM

 VIDEOS

Gonzalez:  The Original Purpose

Burgasser:  The Selfishess

Concatto:  The Dream

Concatto:  The Nuts & Bolts 
 

A week ago yesterday, the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) Governance Committee (chaired by Jackson Township Fiscal Officer Randy Gonzalez) met at the training room of the Stark County Sheriff Department regarding the seemingly eternal quest of SCOG to realize a centralized, countywide 9-1-1 state-of-the-art dispatching center.

This is news?

It is.

How so?

First of all, the effort has been stalled for months.  No meetings, no nothing!

Secondly, the topics discussed.

An important starting point is a statement made by Chairman Gonzalez during the meeting in reminding the members that the first and foremost goal of the committee starting out was to make Stark County a safer community in terms of providing emergency services to Stark Countians.



In that regard the discussion turned to: 

What is Stark County going to do with the approximately $2.35 million sitting in a "9-1-1 fund" within the county general fund?

Is SCOG going to purchase a state-of-the-art Computed Aid Dispatch (CAD) system or to apply the money towards getting all Stark County safety forces "up-to-snuff" on state-the-art 800 mhz radios?

This is money that remains from tax revenues collected from the-then (December, 2008) Bosley, Harmon and Vignos Stark County Board of Commissioners' imposed 0.5% sales tax.

Readers will recall that the public presentation was that the tax was primarily for a rehab of a broken county 9-1-1 system (according to a report commissioned by SCOG).

However, on deeper scrutiny, it was discovered that the tax also included half of the revenues generated going to the county general fund.

This discovery together with the tax being "imposed" was enough to get the blood of a band of irate citizens boiling to the point of successfully circulating petitions for a ballot initiative to repeal the tax on the November, 2009 ballot.

The rest is well known history,  The repeal was overwhelmingly approved.

As it turns out the Bosley, Harmon and Vignos group of commissioners were exercising vision in providing for a rehabbed Stark County CAD and radio system.

But they got greedy in tagging on the general fund money.

And they got arrogant in "imposing" the tax.

But for those fatal flaws, the necessary financing was in place and Stark County might well have by now realized Concatto's dream. 

In a little bit of an ironical twist, one of the attendees at last Thursday's meeting was former Commissioner Jane Vignos.

Another factor in the interruption in the march towards having one Stark County dispatch has been Mayor William J. Healy, II of Canton.

After saying that he was for countywide centralized dispatch with Canton's Communications Center and the Stark County Sheriff's dispatch hub serving has redundant physical infrastructure to house operations, when presented with a lease by SCOG he backed away.

Reason?

The SCPR's take is that Healy would no longer be in charge after the convergence and therefore, as - seemingly - always,  if Hizzoner is not the chief of things post-merger then it (whatever the project is) is "no go."

So what did the Thursday, April 11 produce?

Well, to tell the truth, it is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Some of Stark County's safety force gurus want the CAD system, some want the radios and a number want a mix of the two.

And this division of desires is another key component of Stark County's 9-1-1 consolidation problem!

Fragmentation, fragmentation and fragmentation, once again.

One could also say turfism, turfism and turfism, once again.

The frustration of fragmentation or turfism, whichever term one might use, was best articulated at the meeting by Fire Chief Tom Burgasser of Massillon.



The SCPR's take on the April 11th meeting at 4500 Atlantic Boulevard was that there was "no big picture to emerge."

Such was the case even though the the assembly had the advantage of having RCC Consultants, Inc's Leo Birbilas (PMP, ENP) present.

The fallback position?

More inquiry, more surveying of the Stark's safety forces and more consultation.

But then this past Tuesday (April 16) 9-1-1 Project Coordinator Joe Concatto (on a contract basis) appeared at one of the Stark County commissioners' work sessions to give an overview of where SCOG Governance is in developing and implementing a plan to use the $2.35 million.

In an overall sense the encouraging thing about Concatto's commissioners' meeting appearance was his articulation of still having a dream for Stark County to achieve a state-of-the-art centralized dispatch system.



Encouraging?  Yes.  For those of us who think 9-1-1 is not yet what it ought to be and for the enhanced safety of Stark Countians:

• a new centralized CAD system needs to be purchased and implemented whereby all of Stark's dispatchers are centrally located, and
• Stark's village, city and township police, fire and EMS workers and  deputy sheriffs, are connected on state-of-the-art radios communicating over a state-of-the-art broadcasting system (e.g. MARCS - "Multi-Agency Radio Communications System" LINK to slide presentation)

Realistic?  Probably not.

Why not?

In the view of the SCPR because of:

• the lack of a visionary, take charge person who will take ownership of bringing Stark County into the 21st century with its emergency services communication system,
• the lack of a leadership person with the commitment and dedication to find:
• the lack of necessary monies to purchase the CAD system and to fund the system's annual maintenance costs,
• (probably about $1.5 million capital purchase and $0.6 to $0.9 million or so in maintenance over a five year period of time),
• the lack of necessary monies to get every safety service provider (police, fire and emergency forces) on 800 megahertzP25 radios,
• (probably about $2.5 million in capital purchase costs [between new radios {$3,000 to $4,000 each} and upgraded radios {$300 each}] constituting a total of approximately 1500 radios across Stark County)
• the lack of necessary monies to hook on the State of Ohio MARCS radio network

The Stark County Political Report also makes available (see at the end of this blog) the rest of Concatto's entire presentation which goes into the details of his effort to put together a plan to use the $2.35 million.

Time seems to be of the essence.

The CAD bids, Concatto says, have a limited life span.

Reviewing Concatto's presentation to the commissioners, the following points stick out:

• the State of Ohio's CAD system is not a cost effective for Stark County to join.  Other negatives include:
• Stark County being the first non-state agency on the state CAD and therefore would experience integration pains that being the first would ential,
• Ohio's system, though a good system, would "compromise" Stark County's "perhaps, best in Ohio" GIS (Graphic Information System) mapping system,
• SCOG is narrowing down (to be done in 30 days or less) from the nine bids to two or three bids to choose from ($1.5 million for the capital purchase [paid for from the $2.35 million currently held in the county general fund by the commissioners] and $0.6 to $0.9 million spread over a five year period in annual maintenance costs [to be borne in fees charged to participating Stark County-based dispatch centers],
• Stark County currently has eight such centers with the main three in terms of projected participation would be:
• the Stark County sheriff,
• the Canton Communications Center, and
• the Regional Emergency Dispatch (RED) Center (located in Jackson Township's government complex)
• there is (and the SCPR adds in Concatto's estimate) "renewed hope" among the SCOG membership growing out of last Thursday meeting (something the SCPR did not catch) of renewing the effort to go to a one-dispatch-center as originally envisioned when the imposed 0.5% sales tax occurred,
• (SCPR note:  apparently Concatto bases the "renewed hope" with the introduction of George T. Maier as sheriff (appointed to replace Mike McDonald by Stark Democrats on February 5th) and with Warren Price taking on the duties of safety director in Canton
• acknowledged that SCOG cannot continue to "talk about renewed hope, but that the have to do new hope,"
• competitive to buying a CAD system with the $2.35 million in funds available is upgrading the the $20 million in cost 800 mhz city/county radio system purchased over recent years with local, state and federal dollars,
• but that like CAD, Stark County's 800 mhz radio system is a hodgepodge of differentiated systems some of which cannot talk to each other,
• e.g. North Canton has a 800 mhz system that is with the State of Ohio MARCS system, and
• Canton Township has a 800 mhz system and the township is looking to join MARCS,
• that the wave of the future is for the county to join MARCS in its Tier II mode and that the county is zeroing in on that cost.
• (Note:  Concatto gave an example of MARCS telling Stark County that MARCS needed 5 of Stark County's 10 towers for MARCS to upgrade (so that the system and be accessed from within fire, police and ems stations) at perhaps a cost of $2 million 50% of which would be rebated to the county in the form of credits for ongoing annual maintenance costs,
•  e.g. MARCS charges $20 per month per radio, so using the estimate that there are 1500 Stark County-based radios the annual fees would be about $360,000  (a SCPR calculation; not Concatto's),
•  Concatto also revealed that going to MARCS and 800 mhz P25 X7 platform would entail the purchase of 20 work stations at a cost of $1.4 million as necessary hardware to handle the 800 mhz radio traffic,
• there would also be a "connection cost" from Stark County dispatch to the Lake County site of MARCS,
• that the need to go to MARCS is based on the current cost to Stark County of spending about $700,000 a year in tower maintenance and 800 mhz system maintenance not that Stark County's 800 mhz does not have additional life (perhaps, as much as 4 to 5 years),

What follows in a spreadsheet in which the Stark County Political Report projects costs of implementing a state-of-the-art CAD and 800 Mhz radio system.

While it is Joe Concatto's dream to have a state-of-the-art countywide central dispatching system; given:

• the current rivalries among Stark County political subdivisions 
• Prime culprits are (in the opinion of the SCPR):
• Nimishillen Township's CenCom headed up by Fire Chief Rich Peterson), and
• Canton's Mayor William J. Healy, II (as mentioned above),
• the lack of dynamic, committed leadership in terms of fashioning a vision of moving persistently towards realizing what might be,
• While the currently Stark County of Board Commissioners is likely to stick to their plan to spend the remaining monies from the "imposed" sales tax on 9-1-1 improvement in some way, shape or form, they are not visionaries who might put together a financial plan to complete the project.
• The SCPR believes that the commissioners were very conservative in putting forth a 0.5% sales tax in November, 2011 which passed by a comfortable margin.  The Report believes that their shortsightedness and their lack of fortitude in making tax a 1% increase will haunt Stark County government for years to come.
• the lack of a skilled leader who can generate funding mechanisms that are essential ingredients if capital and maintenance needs are to have adequate financial resources, and
• One has to wonder where the leaders are that Leadership Stark County (a Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce project) is supposed to be producing.  The Report's take is that Leadership Stark County is mostly a "splash and dash" effort that participants are using to build impressive sounding resumes with little to show in actual leadership for projects such as the 9-1-1.
• local interests prevailing over countywide interests,

it is likely that Joe Concatto will have to "dream away!"

Definition of expression Dream Away:  "to waste away a period of time having fantasies."

Is "Dream Away" what Concatto is into on his vision that Stark County one day soon might have centralized, countywide state-of-the-art dispatch center with Stark's police, fire and EMT workers having state-of-the-art communication?

Or will someone in the Stark County pool of leadership talent step forward and make it a "dream realized?"

Here is the rest of the Concatto video in which he explains (in detail) what it will take to realize his dream.

A "FRIENDLY" FIGHT AMONG STARK COUNTY'S EMERGENCY FORCES FOR $2.35 MILLION IN COUNTY FUNDS?

UPDATE:  03/05/2013 AT 2:30 PM

PROJECT MGR JOE CONCATTO E-MAIL

Martin,

The Request for Competitive Sealed Proposals for a Countywide Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System for Stark County was designed around three Dispatch Centers in the County which are the Canton Communication Center, the Sheriff's Dispatch Center and the RED Center.

There are six other Dispatch Centers in Stark County which are CenCom, Alliance, North Canton, Minerva, Plain Fire and Perry Police.  

The County 9-1-1 Call Center does not use a CAD system.  Although the system was designed around three centers the other six would also have the ability to join.  The connectivity between all nine dispatch centers would be the same as the new Next Gen 9-1-1 connectivity.

The CAD bid (which is 90% software) consists of two parts; one, the CAD and Mobile Data Computer system; and, two a five year maintenance cost.

The plan is for the the County to pay for the CAD and Mobile Data system, however, the maintenance fee would be shar[e]d among those dispatch centers th[at] would connect to the system. 

After we determine which proposal is chosen, which will then identify the cost for 5 years of maintenance, we will then go first to the three dispatch centers and see if there is a desire to join.  We have yet to approach the other six dispatch centers because we don't know what it would cost for them to join.  As you know, no one will commit without knowing their annual cost.

The CAD Project Team which includes members of each of the three dispatch center along with our CAD Consultant and me are reviewing the vendor bids and hope to have a group of finalist (one to three) by the end of March.  

At that time we will have an idea of the costs for both the system and the maintenance fee.  We can then approach all the dispatch centers regarding their interest in being part of a countywide CAD System.

ORIGINAL BLOG

 VIDEO

Commissioner Tom Bernabei

on

WHAT TO DO WITH STARK'S $2.35 MILLON
 ON 
   9-1-1? 

The Stark County commissioners have a daunting task in front of them.

How to spend $2.35 million in dedicated funds (i.e. though in the general fund, set aside) in the continuing effort to upgrade 9-1-1 emergency call receiving and emergency vehicle/personnel dispatch to Stark Countians in dire need of EMS, fire and police services?

Unfortunately, for the commissioners; no matter which choice they make, it is unlikely that the impact of spending the money will be all that apparent to Stark County taxpayers and citizens who use the county's EMS, fire and police emergency services.

Unfortunate?

Indeed!  In this day and age of heightened accountability, it is a very unhappy day for a public official to plow money into unseen, unfelt (by taxpaying consumers) but vitally essential infrastructure improvements.

Elected officials are likely to live or die politically at the hand of a public perception that they are/are not doing things that tangibly benefit the public.

Last Tuesday, 9-1-1 Project Manager Joe Concatto (former Canton fire chief and Creighton administration safety director) appeared before commissioners in one of their frequent work sessions (generally held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday in each week) to advocate (sort of) for them to agree to purchase a state-of-the-art Computed Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.

Sort of?

Yes, in the opinion of the SCPR.

While Concatto certainly would like to see a new CAD installed in Stark, he realizes that there are just so many dollars to go around and a key component for a successful CAD operation is to have all Stark County emergency services providers to also have state-of-the-art radio interoperability radio system.

And even the direction to go with the radios option is not quite as simple as buying enough state-of-the-art 800 mhz radios to ensure that each and every nook and cranny Stark County provider of emergency services are, so to speak, "on the same [radio] wave length."

North Canton and Canton Township have already signed on to the State of Ohio MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communication System - LINK).

MARCS is believed by many in the emergency services field to be the ultimate goal of integrated radio communication between and among all emergency forces within Ohio.

Another "this is the future" factor is that the State of Ohio has a State CAD system that many believe is where all State of Ohio political subdivisions (e.g. Canton, the Stark County sheriff's department, Nimshillen's CenCom and the like) are heading longterm.

The question is likely not if MARCS and the State of Ohio CAD system will one day reign supreme, but when.

It is the timing of the "when" (in terms of statewide integration of radios and CAD) that is the puzzler for local emergency forces and the commissioners; not the "if."

So there may be a need to do a Stark County CAD and/or upgrading of the Stark County 800 mhz radio system in order to have first rate emergency service in Stark even if longterm the answer is integrating with the State of Ohio because the "longterm" is not near enough.

So the order of the day for the financial efficiencies of Stark County-sited taxpayers (whether they be at the village, city or township levels) seems to be to the SCPR to not jump off in different directions but to hold the course until the efficiencies can be figured out.

But given "Good Ole Stark County" and its deep-seated territorialism, its turfism; one can depend on various local government agencies going off on a tangent (i.e. from the mainstream) and doing their own gig that may undermine the county effort as a whole.

But these mavericks line up for monies designated for Stark County as if they are looking at county well-being as a whole.

In all, there are six Stark County local governments (according to Concatto) who have strayed from a unified countywide fix to 9-1-1 in all of its aspects so as to facilitate Stark County's achieving a complete 9-1-1 system that is among, if not the absolute best in all of Ohio.

The divisions, The Report believes, started with Nimishillen Township which is both a touch ironic and logical.

Ironic in the sense that the SCPR believes that there once was a plan for Nimshillen's CenCom to be the King Kong of a revamped Stark County 9-1-1 system.

Logical that Nimishillen should separate from the countywide rehab if its CenCom could not dominate in the sense that:

• the township had a huge mortgage on its CenCom building, and if it was not to be the core of the countywide effort (and impliedly generate for Nimishillen the funds needed to service its mortgage),
• then Nimishillen had to compete with the countywide effort in order to make township financial ends meet.

Fire Chief Rich Peterson of Nimishillen originally back in the mid-2000s appears to The Report to have formed a political alliance with the-then Nimishillen trustee Todd Bosley to forge a political campaign for Bosley to become a Stark County commissioner, and from that perch shepherd a rebuild of what was widely believed to be a broken Stark County 9-1-1 system.

The Report believes that as part of the the Bosley/Peterson plan, Nimishillen's CenCom was to become the flagship site for the rebuilt, state-of-the-art Stark County 9-1-1 which would be headed up by guess who?  You've got it:  Rich Peterson.

By the way, Peterson denies that being the head of a repaired 9-1-1 was ever his objective.  However, the SCPR does not buy his denial.

Democrat Bosley was elected by a narrow margin over Republican Richard Regula (who in 2012 regained his office) and proceeded to talk fellow commissioners Tom Harmon (a Democrat) and Jane Vignos (a Republican) into imposing a 0.5% sales tax with the apparent objective of providing adequate, if not surplus monies, to bring 9-1-1 call receiving and dispatch up to state-of-the-art.

Longtime advocate for rehabbing 9-1-1 Randy Gonzalez  must have thought he died and went to heaven.

He is a key figure in the Stark County Council of Governments (SCOG) which commissioned a study in 2007/2008 on the state of repair/disrepair of Stark's 9-1-1.

He has been working about 20 years on improving Stark's 9-1-1 system.

However, he has had to come back to earth.

Stark Countians rose up in droves to repeal the tax in November, 2009 (under a movement led by local civic activist and attorney Craig T. Conley) and, of course, consequently Bosley was "political" toast as he moved off running for reelection as commissioner onto running for state representative for the 50th Ohio House District.

And in the jockeying between Peterson, RED Center director Mark Busto, the-then Canton safety director Tom Nesbitt and Concatto for the project directorship, Concatto won out probably as a compromise between Bosley and his political adversaries in the Stark County EMS, fire and police community.

A thing or two needs to be said for Bosley.

But for his action in convincing Harmon and Vignos to impose the December, 2008 0.5% sales tax on Stark Countians:

• the county would not have a 9-1-1 system that is nearly in good a shape as it is now, and
• the county would not have survived the financial crash as well as it did during the lean times of 2010 and 2011.

A strong reason - the SCPR is told by the proponents of the repeal of the imposed sales tax - that the repeal prevailed by a very, very large margin is that the tax included monies for Stark County's general fund which was facing hard times even when Bosley was commissioner.

The repeal proponents say, the campaign to retain the imposed sales tax:

• focused exclusively on the 9-1-1 factor,
• while not mentioning or, at the very least,downplaying the general fund revenue factor
• which, they believe, enabled them to convince Stark Countians to reject continuing the tax.

In the interim, "you can depend on him to be a problem, if he is not in control of the finished product."

Depend on "him?"

Yes, "him" being, of course, Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II, who at first was a zealot for the 9-1-1 countywide fix, promising Canton's full cooperation.

However, when it became obvious that Canton was not going to dominate, he withdrew Canton's support for an all-out countywide 9-1-1 operation and has remained largely incommuicado with Gonazlez and Concatto on Canton's role ever since.

Another irony of Tuesday's commissioners' work session is that:

• one of the alternatives 
• (maybe even, the most likely alternative) 
• for the spending of the $2.35 million 
• (as communicated by former Canton police chief Dean McKimm - now the head of Canton's call receiving/dispatch center and who had with him John Whitlatch and Raymond Friedmann of the Canton Fire Department)  
• would fix Canton's way-out-of-date CAD system were commissioners to select the CAD option.

Another stroke of good fortune for Mayor Healy?

Hmm?

Or, perhaps, another example of "what goes around, comes around" if the commissioners choose not to go with accepting a CAD bid?

Also weighing in on Tuesday last, was Mark Busto as head of the RED (Regional Emergency Dispatch) Center which serves much of western Stark County.  He had with him Assistant Director Jamie Wood also of the center.

Busto seemed equally satisfied whichever way the commissioners elect to go.

The RED Center, the Stark County sheriff's 9-1-1 center, and the City of Canton Communications Center each serve about 100,000 Stark Countians.  The rest of Stark County (about 78,000 according to the 2010 census) is served by a variety of smaller 9-1-1 centers.

The person in Stark County that the SCPR is most on top of what ought to be done with the $2.35 million is, in the opinion of The Report, Commissioner Tom Bernabei.

Bernabei sits on the board of SCOG (which provides funding for 9-1-1 and for the Stark County Crime Lab) and has devoted countless hours in trying to become informed on matters that play large into what direction Stark County should take in parsing out the $2.35 million.

As readers of the SCPR know, yours truly does not pass out many accolades to Stark County local government officials and political figures.

But Bernabei is an exception.

Stark Countians can feel assured that Bernabei will have done his homework by the time decision day arrives on dispensing the $2.35 million and that it is likely that Commissioners Janet Creighton and Richard Regula will have wisdom to follow his recommendation.

While The Report has had a difference or two with Bernabei, he remains responsive to yours truly's probing questions.

He presents a mature governmental/political figure model for the overly-sensitive and "I want to be unaccountable" types (all too many of them who populate Stark County government and politics), who clam up when the tough questions come.

In the video presented below,  Bernabei makes the following points bearing on what factors are in play as the commissioners contemplate how they will apply the $2.35 million:

• follow SCOG's recommendation:
• that the commissioners first apply the money to purchase a CAD system,
• that any excess monies be used to purchase state-of-art 800 mhz radios (which cost about $4,000 each) to distribute throughout Stark County's emergency forces towards meeting an ultimate goal that everyone have an inter-agency-operable radio (i.e. between and among Stark County EMS, fire and police units),
• on a RFP (request for proposal - about 165 pages in length) bid put out by the commissioners which generated 13 bids (about twice the size of the 165 page RFP) only one of which was from an Ohio based company, the committee formed to review the RFPs narrowed the field from which to select to three which bids (which include both the software and a five year maintenance coverage) came in at:
• $2.109 million,
• $2.15 million, and
• $2.785 million; respectively
• with the caveat that each Stark County entity (e.g. Canton, Stark County, the RED Center and other users) will be charged, if a CAD system is purchased, a fee for their proportional uses,
• alternatively (as a possible disposition of the $2.35 million terms of holding on to it for the foreseeable future, perhaps, two to three years down the road), Bernabei discusses the possible financial benefit for Stark County to wait for Ohio's MARCS system to mature to NextGen and then Stark County upgrading some of its 10 transmission towers to allow MARCS to penetrate buildings so that it could be used by Stark's fire departments,
• alternatively, holding the $2.35 million in 9-1-1 rainy day fund in order to be in a financial position to join in with the State of Ohio's CAD system when the timing in ripe

Here is a videotaped Bernabei SCPR interview wherein he reviews quite thoroughly the options that the commissioners are considering in making the soon forthcoming decision as to what to do with $2.35 million of Stark County taxpayer dollars.

(VIDEO: EDDLEMAN, CONCATTO AND BERNABEI) IT'S OFFICIAL! COUNTYWIDE 9-1-1 IS NOW ON "BACKBURNER." WHO MIGHT HAVE DONE THE POLITICAL SABOTAGE?

On Monday just passed at the Stark County Council on Governments (SCOG) regular monthly meeting, Marlboro Township trustee and SCOG member Kenneth Eddleman asked 9-1-1 rehabilitation project manager Joe Concatto whether or not the rebuild of the system was on the "backburner."

Concatto's answer:  "I guess you could put it that way."

Another terrific question asked by Eddlemen was what is the point of extending Concatto as project manager (which was done on Monday at the SCOG meeting for an additions six months) if the matter is on the "backburner."

Over the last six months, SCOG paid Concatto $2,100 to continue on as needed as project manager.

Here's the video of the the exchange between Eddleman and Concatto.



And you can believe the SCPR in saying that Concatto was being kind, very kind to SCOG chairman Thomas Ream in not fingering the chairman as a factor is the 9-1-1 project achieving the dubious distinction of being put on the "backburner."

The Report sees him as being in league with Canton Mayor William J. Healy, II to bring what was once "full speed ahead," on rebuilding, what was pronounced in a commissioned report circa 2007/2008 as being  a "broken 9-1-1," to a near grinding halt.

Any further progress of bringing county wide 9-1-1 reform may be permanently derailed.

For those readers who are not all that familiar with the history of the 9-1-1 saga, here are a couple links.

•  Blog:  February 28, 2012
•  Blog:  April 12, 2011

A  more thorough search of the blogs of the SCPR will yield many, many blogs on the progression of the 9-1-1 in the glory of all its "fits and starts and stops and restarts" due to the politics of the situation.

The project is now at a point that the Stark County commissioners are not sure which direction to go with the $2.1 million that they hold as residue of monies collected as a consequence of a December, 2008 "imposed" sales tax increase voted in by the then-commissioners Bosley, Harmon, and Vignos.

One of the reasons given for the stall in progress on the 9-1-1 rebuild at Monday's meeting by Concatto was that he is waiting for the commissioners to decide as to whether or not to spend money on "state-of-the-art" dispatching software (Computer-Assisted-Dispatch/CAD) or apply it to buying and distributing 800 mhz radios to Stark's police and fire departments.

What he didn't say was that because Healy through Safety Director Ream withdrew the leasing offer of the city of Canton owned Canton Communications Center after leading the likes of SCOG Governance Committee chair Randy Gonzalez to believe that a SCOG run refurbished 9-1-1 would be able to integrate the Canton center at lease cost of $1 per year.

But as the actual time for the transaction to transpire neared, Healy and Ream started inching away and later seemed to be running away from Canton's commitment leaving the countywide 9-1-1 rehab "in the lurch," as it were.

The Canton "monkey wrench" has had what appears to be the desired effect which The Report believes was contemplated by Healy. "On the backburner" may not be an apt description of the project.  It may be for all intents purposes dead.

Even the Stark County commissioners (Bernabei and Creighton both have anti-Healy track records), have been forced to rethink what is to be done with the money the commissioners are holding for 9-1-1.

The Report caught up with Commissioner Thomas Bernabei after the end of the commissioners' regular Wednesday meeting (June 6, 2012).

Here is what he had to say:



While the Healy/Ream "foot dragging" is not the only reason for the stall/stoppage of the 9-1-1 project to the SCPR's way of thinking, IT IS the MAIN reason.

For them, as The Report sees it, the "foot dragging" is mostly about the mayor being in control when, if ever, the 9-1-1 would be completed.   Healy is well known in Stark County government and political circles as being a "my way or the highway" sort of guy.

Sooner or later,  it is predictable that there will be a failure to provide effective call receiving/dispatching coordination with the consequences being an ensuing human tragedy.  And, undoubtedly, we will then hear that if we had this software or that hardware or facility et cetera,  the failure would not have occurred.

The SCPR wants to know if Mayor Healy and his ally Ream will be stepping forward in the wake of such a tragedy to accept some of the responsibility for the failure?

It seems to The Report as if public officials like Healy and Ream think they can play their political games with the public welfare and safety and not be held accountable.