North Canton moves toward final vote on outsourcing emergency dispatching services

• Seven people expressed opposition to the move at the most recent council meeting.
• The city administration has projected saving nearly $322,000 next year if it switches to the regional Stark County RED Center for dispatching.

NORTH CANTON ‒ The city continues moving toward outsourcing its emergency services dispatching.

Legislation is advancing to a third and final council vote scheduled for July 15. Mayor Stephan Wilder has indicated he would not veto the change.

Council members who voted Monday to outsource dispatching were Christina Weyrick, at-large; Melissa Owens, Ward 3; Stephanie Werren, at-large; and Dave Metheney, Ward 2. Members who voted to keep the city's dispatch center were Jamie McCleaster, Ward 1; Stroia, at-large, and John Orr, Ward 4.

The city administration has projected saving nearly $322,000 next year if it switches to the regional Stark County RED Center for dispatching. The estimated savings eventually rises to $490,705 a year in part because the city's dispatchers are due under their union contract to get salary increases of 3% to 4% a year.

Seven people expressed opposition to the move at the most recent council meeting.

Some argued that North Canton without its own dispatch center would be a less attractive city for potential residents. They said the city's dispatchers best know the town, its streets and its police force. They work in the same basement space at City Hall as police. They suggested that emergency response is faster with the city's dispatch center than it would be for a regionalized dispatch center.

"You really need to think about this," resident Matt Rohrbaugh said. "It's not just about money and rushing everything out of town."

Resident Holly Pierpont recounted years ago where a man was following her and her husband in a vehicle into North Canton. She said when she called North Canton dispatchers to tell them they were driving to City Hall to seek help, she could overhear dispatchers talking with police officers about her situation. When they got to City Hall, the officers were waiting and one pursued the man following them. Pierpont expressed doubt she would have gotten that level of personal service if North Canton used the RED Center.

If North Canton outsources its dispatching, "I think we are going to recognize the difference," she said.

More discussion on North Canton emergency dispatching

North Canton dispatcher Cathy Miller told council that RED Center dispatchers would need time to get to know city streets.

She said she was the dispatcher this spring who told a police officer in the station to rush to the North Canton YMCA to tend to a teen who had collapsed. He performed CPR to revive the teen.

Would the response have been as fast with the RED Center?

"I doubt it," she said.

"I'm really heartbroken that (you) would even consider outsourcing dispatching to the RED Center," Miller said.

Seldon Farnsworth said, "We're not in favor of this. It's a real safety issue."

Dawn Hearne said, "If all these people say, 'Don't do it,' why are we doing it? ... Trim the fat somewhere else."

Danielle Chaffin, an attorney for the dispatchers' union, the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said RED Center dispatchers earn less in pay and benefits than North Canton dispatchers. Whatever savings the city would get from the change "was coming out of the pockets of dispatchers."

North Canton Council members on dispatching

Metheney argued that switching to the RED Center would not hurt the police and fire department's ability to quickly respond to emergencies.

"We have to cut one or the other I feel this (outsourcing dispatch) is the lesser of two evils," Weyrick said. "We're in a financial place where we have to do something."

Werren said she and many North Canton residents often travel through nearby communities like Plain Township or Jackson Township without the fear of a slower response time than North Canton.

McCleaster argued that once the city gave up its dispatch center, it would not get it back. And it would not have a situation where police officers were in close proximity to dispatchers.

While Police Chief Frank Kemp Jr and Fire Chief Drew Cramer had expressed misgivings about disbanding the city's dispatch center, both signed a letter dated Monday acknowledging that attempts to balance the city's budget could result in a decrease of police and fire services without a major change. And that they were committed to police and fire responding in a "timely and appropriate" manner.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly Twitter: @rwangREP