Liberty invites Girard to use its 911 service

The mayor does not know when a decision will be made.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- Township officials are making the call for Girard to join its 911 center.
Pat Ungaro, township administrator, sent a proposal Friday to Mayor James Melfi offering 911 services for an annual cost of $95,000.
"The city of Girard is experiencing financial difficulties and is looking at ways to operate more economically," Ungaro said. "Liberty Township hopes both communities can combine dispatching services."
Girard spends $188,000 annually to maintain its service with three full-time personnel. They also are paying a police captain to fill in or cover shifts when the dispatcher is unavailable. Last year the city received 2,515 calls to 911.
"This would be a savings to us, and it's something to seriously consider," Melfi said. He did not know when a decision would be made.
If Girard decides to go with the Liberty system, they will have to sign a "memorandum of understanding," Ungaro said.
Trumbull County commissioners have said they will be asking communities, such as Liberty and Girard, to join the county 911 system.
Number of calls
Liberty Township's four full-time and four part-time dispatchers took 3,404 emergency 911 calls last year; the township quit the county system in 1998 and doesn't plan to go back.
Giving up the township's dispatching would mean ignoring a lot of walk-in police calls; shutting the building would mean eliminating a public disaster shelter and closing a holding cell for police suspects, township officials said.
Ungaro said he believes Liberty's dispatch center is a better choice for Girard. He noted that if Girard chooses to use Liberty's 911 center it would also be able to use the township's jail facilities.
"The initial cost to enter the county 911 center is $180,00 plus a monthly fee which would far exceed the cost you would pay to Liberty for dispatching," he said.
Liberty would dispatch all fire and police calls, Ungaro said. He noted that currently in Girard, after the dispatcher transfers a call to the fire department the fire department dispatches fire apparatus.
"In Liberty there would be no need for any firefighters to be available to dispatch, giving an additional person to respond to the call," Ungaro said.
He also stressed that since the county is having severe financial problems the county 911 center "may not be a viable solution."
sinkovich@vindy.com