Politics & Government

Dunwoody City Council On Verge of 911 Decision

Council discussed ChatComm, DeKalb county offers, four council members showed support for ChatComm deal. Will be brought for vote later this month

The Dunwoody City Council seems ready to make a call on 911.

Tuesday, the council heard from City Manager Warren Hutmacher, who said the city had renegotiated prices with ChatComm, one of two 911 providers the council has been considering, the other being DeKalb County.

The city has been weighing its options for more than a year. It currently has 911 services with the county, but the service has come under heavy criticism for call times and not having dedicated dispatchers or radio channels.

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Over the past few months, the county has offered several concessions that could improve service for Dunwoody residents, including dedicating a radio channel and dispatchers for the city – two key issues the city has had with county 911 services. ChatComm, a private company that provides 911 services for Sandy Springs and Johns Creek, provides many beneficial features that the county does not, such as GPS tracking on police vehicles and dedicated call takers.

The ChatComm deal is a bit more expensive than DeKalb County, but Tuesday, the council was informed that ChatComm has sweetened its offer.

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 ChatComm agreed to a price reduction of $125,000 on an annual basis through the contract, according to a memo from City Manager Warren Hutmacher.

Over a three-year basis, the DeKalb County option would cost $135,000 out of the city’s general fund, while ChatComm could cost from an estimated $777,264 to $1.1 million.

Chief Billy Grogan, who attended the council meeting via the Internet, said he supports the city going with ChatComm because he believes it offers a dependable and higher level of service than the county’s plan.

“I don’t know if I have the confidence that DeKalb will be able to deliver on their promises,” Grogan said.

Several council members said they trusted the chief’s call on the issue.

“The chief has recommended something and I’m loath to second guess him,” said Robert Wittenstein, one of three council members on the 911 due diligence team. “We’ve always said we wanted to support him whenever we could and I think this is one of those times.”

He added that he feels ChatComm offers a “substantially higher level of service,” given its history of faster call times versus DeKalb’s service.

“Frankly, even if it costs more, I’d be for it,” he said.

John Heneghan also backed Grogan.

“I trust his judgment,” he said. “I’m leaning toward ChatComm and I think it’s the way we need to go.”

Both Mayor Ken Wright and Councilman Doug Thompson said they supported the ChatComm offer as well.

Danny Ross, also part of the due diligence team, voiced strong sentiment for going with DeKalb County.

Ross said, among his arguments for the county’s service, that DeKalb 911 could more easily serve the city as the police, fire and EMS are all linked in one place, has offered to give the city a dedicated radio channel and dedicated dispatchers, and cost less.

“At the end of the day we are going to be paying a million dollars or more,” he said, for ChatComm, which he feels would provide subpar services.

He also pointed out that the county has a new person at the helm at the 911 center and the center is expanding its staffing substantially.

Denis Shortal felt staying with a known service, which has shown improvements, is a better idea.

“I think DeKalb County has operated in good faith with us,” he said. “If they have operated in good faith, I think we should go down that road.”

Shortal, the third member of the due diligence team, added that there is a six-month kick out clause, whereby the city could leave the county’s 911 services if they weren’t adequate.

The item will be put on the agenda of the next council meeting, on Feb. 28.


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