County board delays $100,000 emergency medical dispatch software purchase after debate over duplication with consolidated center

Lake County commissioners voted on Sept. 9 to postpone indefinitely a joint resolution authorizing a $100,281.95 agreement with a vendor to provide a hosted backing database and EMD protocols for the Lake County Sheriff's 9-1-1 center. Supporters said the purchase would give sheriff's dispatchers state-required emergency medical dispatch (EMD) capability and redundancy if regional systems are unavailable; opponents called it a duplication of services available through the regional consolidated dispatch center known as The Rock or LACOM.

Vice Chair Mary Ross Cunningham moved the procurement in committee; the item afterward generated extensive discussion on the board floor. Lake County 9-1-1 Director Charice Nichols said the purchase would provide the same EMD protocols used by agencies already consolidated with LACOM and would help meet a state mandate requiring dispatchers to hold EMD certification. Nichols said the software would allow dispatchers to give pre-arrival medical instructions when necessary and provide redundancy if a transfer cannot be completed.

Sheriff John Hill said his department pursued its own path after concerns about seat allocation, governance and contract terms during consolidation talks, and he argued the sheriff's dispatch center needed the capability to protect unincorporated-county residents. Other board members said the purchase duplicates services available through LACOM and noted that if the sheriff's center cannot dispatch ambulances it will still need to transfer ambulance calls to a fire/EMS dispatcher.

Deputy Administrator Jim Chaminick and ETSB representatives told the board the Emergency Telephone System Board had committed $75,000 of the estimated $100,281.95 cost and the sheriff's office would pay the balance; ongoing maintenance was estimated at roughly $20,000 per year. Some members expressed concern that ETSB dissolution and JETSB reorganization could change that funding.

After debate, the board voted on a motion to postpone indefinitely. The motion passed on a roll call (11 ayes, 8 no). Chair Sandy Hart and other members pledged to place the item before the board promptly if the state ends the sheriff's EMD waiver.