Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center Gift Finder |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| NewsThursday, December 22, 2005 12:42 PM CST |
 Comments (0) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
Leaders plan to discuss 911 system
PONTIAC -- The future of centralized emergency service dispatching in Livingston County may be decided when leaders of two groups sit down to talk next month. Members of the Emergency Telephone System Board, which operates the LivCom emergency dispatch center, and leaders from the Big Four -- the county, Pontiac, Dwight and Fairbury -- will meet next month for the first time since October. In October, leaders of the Big Four announced plans to pull out of LivCom and have dispatching services run through the sheriff's department. LivCom officials complain there still is no plan for how to make the transition, but the proposed meetings may resolve that. On Tuesday night, members of the telephone board and leaders of the county, Pontiac and Dwight had a sometimes heated discussion about the future of dispatching services. "I will personally make sure we have a meeting," said telephone board Chairman Alex McWilliams. "We will sit down and discuss this. It's too important to go on any longer without all of us rowing in the same direction." The Big Four leaders said the main concern was financial. They believe the sheriff's department can do dispatching at a cheaper rate. They have never been concerned about the levels or quality of service. "It is my responsibility to make sure taxpayers are getting their money's worth," said Dwight Mayor Jim Mixen. "There has to be ways to save money." McWilliams said LivCom workers have been concerned for their jobs since the announcement. He said not knowing the future is causing problems. Current contracts between the Big Four governments and LivCom expire in 2006. Earlier this year, the auditor of LivCom said the agency would go broke in the next two to three years because expenses continued to grow while income did not. The 911 call system and operators are paid with money from a telephone surcharge. The dispatching services are paid for with money from the city and county governments and other ambulance and fire services from throughout the county. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
||||||
|
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2009, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|