911 Dispatch Agreement Gets Early Approval

Vernon Hills is on the verge of joining its emergency dispatch services with two nearby towns.

Village officials on Tuesday signed off on drafts of intergovernmental agreements with Lincolnshire and Riverwoods. If approved, the three towns, along with Libertyville, which partnered with Vernon Hills last year, will share emergency dispatch services. 

Under the plan, 911 calls for all four towns would be received by the Vernon Hills-based dispatch center. The agreement would also centralize communications reports and records management.

“This has been a vision that’s been out there for 10 years or more,” said Vernon Hills Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer. “It’s going to save us money and the other communities money as well.”

The draft agreement outlines a five-year contract under which Lincolnshire would pay $272,320 for the first year, with 3 percent annual increases over the next four years. Riverwoods would pay $96,432 for the first year, with cost increases applied to the remaining four years. That village’s contribution would cover the cost of an additional dispatch center employee.

Both villages would also contribute capital expense fees totaling $67,000, which will help Vernon Hills recoup the cost of emergency equipment it has already purchased.

The plan is a “natural extension” of village’s dispatch partnerships with the Countryside Fire Protection District and the Lincolnshire Fire Department, he said.

“As the economy gets worse, everybody’s looking for ways to consolidate,” he said.

Call volume to the dispatch center is projected to spike — Vernon Hills already fields about 30,000 911 calls annually, and Lincolnshire alone receives about 18,000, Fleischhauer said — but he stressed that the partnership would not adversely impact local emergency response.

“Actually, I think it enhances safety,” he said, explaining that communication among the departments will allow nearby departments to quickly lend assistance when needed.

Vernon Hills will work out final details with Lincolnshire and Riverwoods before the agreement returns to the Village Board for official approval.