Lincolnshire Considers Money-Saving Dispatch Deal With Deerfield

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — Village trustees could decide to switch providers of emergency dispatch services for Lincolnshire residents from Vernon Hills to Deerfield later this month. The shift would take place next year upon the expiration of a contract between the village and the Vernon Hills and Countryside Fire Protection District. Trustees voted Sept. 24 to extend the current contract to at least April 2019 with an extension to 2021 kicking in Nov. 1.

Lincolnshire could save $1,169,479 over the course of the next five years. However, there would be a required start-up of an estimated $102,680 cost to hook into Deerfield's radio networks, which are based in Highland Park, its computer systems and to upgrade to compatible police records software, according to a memo from Lincolnshire Police Chief Joe Leonas. As a result, about $75,000 would be saved in Fiscal Year 2019, with greater cost savings in future years.

The cost of the Vernon Hills deal increased by 21 percent to more than $403,000 for a year of service starting Oct. 1, with costs rising to $431,020 by 2020-21. Deerfield is seeking a five-year agreement with three additional years to renew automatically if all parties are satisfied, according to a June 12 letter from Deerfield Police Chief John Sliozis. The annual cost would not be higher than $185,000, Sliozis said. The payment schedule would gradually increase, rising to nearly $211,000 by the fifth year of the deal.

Lincolnshire contacted two other regional 911 dispatch centers about possibly taking over for Vernon Hills, according to Leonas. Wheeling police, which currently handles dispatching duties for Des Plaines, said they could handle it for between $200,000 and $215,000. Glenview expressed interest at first but declined to provide a quote, saying they would probably be unable to beat Vernon Hills' price.

After noting the cost savings and provisions in the agreement and provisions ensuring the service expectations are met, Lincolnshire trustees could vote on the agreement at their Nov. 12 meeting, the Lincolnshire Review reported.

Deerfield has been fighting to keep its dispatch center amid requirements that communities with populations below 25,000 consolidate 911 services. The Lake County Emergency Telephone Service Board has blocked Riverwoods from joining the Deerfield-Bannockburn Joint Emergency Telephone System, even though Riverwoods receives dispatch services from Deerfield. A court case on the matter is on hold pending a decision from the Illinois State Police's The Office of the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator.