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Committee forwards Delta Township alert-system integration to Ways and Means; staff correct admin fee
Summary
Eaton County staff presented a phased plan to integrate Delta Township’s station-alerting system with county dispatch via CAD-to-CAD; the committee approved forwarding phase 1 to Ways and Means and staff said the contract's administrative fee will be 10% (text to be corrected) and requires a two-thirds override at final approval.
County staff and Central Dispatch Deputy Director Francis De Vetteran outlined a phased plan to integrate Eaton County’s dispatch with Delta Township’s station-alerting system during the Jan. 15 meeting.
The proposal focuses first on CAD-to-CAD integration using a product called Unify (part of Central Square) so dispatch centers can electronically transfer and share call data with surrounding counties. De Vetteran said dispatch is also upgrading radio encryption to meet FBI requirements. Staff emphasized starting CAD-to-CAD work with geographically familiar neighboring counties to avoid location errors.
Ben said the Delta contract is phased; the committee is being asked to move phase 1 now. He also noted the draft contract text incorrectly listed a 5% emergency purchase/admin fee and that the intended admin fee is 10%. He said the 10% admin fee (and a $500 annual minimum) would require a two-thirds override at final approval because it differs from the county’s usual admin surcharge.
The presentation included a $10,000 training-development piece to write procedures and train dispatchers on new dual procedures and a dedicated large flat screen to display Delta alerts at the county dispatch center. Commissioners asked about potential impacts on dispatch procedures and response time; De Vetteran said frontline dispatch workflows will not substantially change and the integration should speed information to stations, though policy carefulness is needed given wide variability among fire departments.
The committee moved and supported the phase-1 agreement and forwarded it to Ways and Means for review and the required approvals.
Next steps: Ways and Means will review the corrected contract language (including updated 10% admin fee), training costs and any required two-thirds approval process before final county-level adoption.
