Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the 911 Center Bond topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Middletown leaders outline $10 million 911 center bond, warn against deferring Motorola contract
Summary
At a brief Middletown commission meeting, officials previewed a $10 million bond for a new 911 center on the November ballot, described outreach efforts and training, and defended renewing a Motorola service agreement that the director said is necessary to avoid higher costs later.
Director Bartolotta reported that a $10,000,000 bond for a new 9‑1‑1 center will appear on the November ballot and described outreach and preparatory work underway.
“Big news is November is for the bond for the $10,000,000 new 9‑1‑1 center,” Bartolotta said, noting police and fire chiefs supplied written testimony and thanking local supporters including Gina Serra and Sub Giuliano. Bartolotta said staff have done radio, Facebook and TV outreach but attendance at some sessions was low.
Bartolotta also presented recent operations metrics and staffing: he said the distributed cost‑statistics sheet shows roughly 7,000 incidents in September, about 2,209 9‑1‑1 calls and approximately 7,700 administrative calls, and that two people are currently in training (one non‑certified trainee and one certified hire from Meriden). “We’re trying to hire an additional third one,” Bartolotta said.
On technology spending, Bartolotta told the commission the department finalized a service and software agreement with Motorola. “This year's price was $426,000. The total four‑year package is a little over $2,100,000,” he said, arguing that deferring maintenance would raise costs later and that upgrades included in the contract are important for operations.
Acting chair S2 and S3 emphasized messaging about taxpayer impact, with S2 saying the project is modest and framed the timing of debt service to minimize the mill‑rate impact in 2024–25. S3 added the current dispatch setup is “simply not acceptable” and urged voter support.
The commission did not vote on the bond or the Motorola contract at the meeting; Bartolotta said this finance information was provided as context for outreach and budget planning and that the bond outcome will be decided by voters in November.
