Dispatch decision looms

Weston County Deputy Attorney Jeani Stone, told the county commissioners at their March 15 meeting that she was on the cusp of a possible solution to the city-county dispatch woes.  She hoped to present her ideas to the commissioners on April 12 at a meeting in Upton. That date had not been confirmed as of March 28. 
Stone said that Weston County residents should have an answer regarding who will be fielding their emergency calls between Weston County and the city of Newcastle. 
As previously reported, tensions between Weston County and the city of Newcastle over dispatch services provided by the city have been increasing for some time. The disagreement escalated in the past year with the city moving to relocate the dispatch center and Newcastle Police Department from the county’s law enforcement center to the city offices. The county, in response, has been exploring the costs of starting its own dispatch service. 
The commissioners, as previously reported, had initially sought to form a joint powers board to oversee dispatch services. Weston County Sheriff Bryan Colvard and Gilbert Nelson, the county’s emergency management coordinator, have also stated their support for a joint powers board. 
The city and Mayor Pam Gualtieri, however, have opposed a joint powers board, preferring instead to continue to operate the dispatch center and provide the service for other county entities. 
Hoping to avoid a split between the city and county, Stone has been working with Newcastle Police Chief Sam Keller, Sheriff Colvard and Upton Police Chief Susan Bridge to develop agreements and contracts for dispatch services provided by the city. 
Stone said that her “presentation” tentatively scheduled for April 12, would include the issues that led to the city’s decision to go it alone, what was done to rectify those concerns, what a joint powers board would look like and the costs associated with dispatch currently and if the city and county were to split and perform dispatch duties separately. 
“I’d like to have a presentation on what it would look like if you do your own (a county dispatch). There will be additional costs to both groups,” Stone said. 
She added that she is drafting a joint powers agreement so that the county could get the ball rolling if the city agrees.