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Police chief outlines timeline and reduced estimate for VESTA 911 system; assembly says budget is in place
Summary
Police Chief Jeffery Elby Jr. told the assembly the borough has received equipment for a Motorola VESTA 911/CAD replacement and expects to go live by May; the original $1.9M request was reduced to roughly $1.41M after negotiations. Chief asked for attention to facility risks and an eventual open house.
Police Chief Jeffery Elby Jr. updated the Assembly on a planned replacement of the borough’s aging CallWorks 911 system with Motorola’s VESTA platform, saying the borough contracted Procom to install the system and had received equipment this fall.
Chief Elby said the project will include VESTA plus FLEX computer‑aided dispatch and that installation will require temporary relocation of dispatch while equipment and wiring are reconfigured. A new ADA‑compliant dispatch console has been ordered and is being shipped from Texas. The department tentatively expects a go‑live by May, though the timeline is "pretty fluid" and could slip later into the summer.
Budget figures were discussed in public: the initial ask to the assembly was near $1.9 million; following vendor negotiations and scope review, the current estimated cost presented to the assembly was reduced to roughly $1.41 million. Chief Elby said the assembly had budgeted for the project and staff worked to reduce warranty and scope costs leading up to the budget cycle.
Assembly members raised facility concerns, noting the current police space is leased from a military facility and could be vacated with limited notice; members requested that long‑term facility planning consider a dedicated police building. Chief Elby said facility upgrades and a new console are part of the project plan and agreed to schedule a public open house after system commission so residents can observe dispatch operations.
No formal action or additional appropriation was taken on Jan. 5; the report was informational and intended to prepare the assembly ahead of the system deployment and capital needs.
