Horry County: Conway to take on police dispatch

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hntsgt

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An agreement between Horry County 911 and the city of Conway to handle its police dispatch will save the city approximately $152,000 in the first year, City Manager Bill Graham said.

Graham said that savings is the equivalent of 2.6 mills of taxes to Conway property owners. The city expected the agreement to pass and included the savings in the budget it passed June 13.

Previously, the county center answered all 911 calls and transferred them to Conway for dispatch, Graham said.

"It's a more direct handling of the calls, so that'll be a little quicker on the response," Graham said.

Conway is going to pay $166,136 this year for four new county-paid dispatchers, said Paul Whitten, the county's assistant administrator for public safety. The cost will be recalculated on an annual basis and phased out over the next four years.

The Horry County Council approved the agreement at Tuesday's meeting, which will continue for five years and save the city of Conway nearly $554,000. It passed on a 6-4 vote, with councilmen Al Allen, Paul Price, Jody Prince and Brent Schulz opposing.

The agreement calls for the county to provide all necessary infrastructure, while the city of Conway will provide mobile and portable radios and mobile data terminals. The city had been spending more than $323,000 a year to maintain its dispatch center.

Price asked the motion be deferred until a study could be done to see the impact of the agreement. He said he wasn't disagreeable to it, but simply needed more information to make an informed decision.

Schulz said his biggest problem with the agreement is what happens when other municipalities approach and ask to do the same thing. He wanted to see a master plan brought in.

"I want to see what the impact is," Schulz said.

Whitten said Conway will be the fourth law enforcement console the county center operates, which already includes Aynor, Atlantic Beach and Briarcliffe Acres.

The county pays about $3 million a year for its 911 center, Whitten previously said.

He added that the four positions will come out of Conway's dispatchers pool. Graham said that number is seven full-time telecommunicators.

Whitten said the county center already has two vacancies of its own. It will hire five of the Conway dispatchers to join the county dispatch, filling one of the vacancies. The other two Conway dispatchers will not be hired.

The new employees will start work at the county 911 center on July 1, Whitten said.

He said Conway has numerous doughnut holes in its municipal boundaries, with county and city jurisdictions weaving in and out on the map. With the additional dispatch console operated out of the county 911 center, all officers in that geographical area will hear the calls and can respond based on need and proximity.

"It provides for increased officer safety, in my mind," Whitten said.

The agreement calls for an annual review between the city and the county to discuss appropriate service delivery.

For Conway officials, it's seen as a win-win.

"This consolidation is an excellent example of intragovernmental cooperation between Horry County and the city of Conway," Graham said. "It will improve emergency communications services for our community and at the same time, save our taxpayers money."
 

KWs

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I've read this article over & over and I'm confused ... should the headline state:
Horry County to Take Over Conway Police Dispatch ?
 

hntsgt

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Yes, I had to read it over a couple of times myself.... and I already know that Conway was dispatching themselves! Yes, it appears Horry dispatch center is taking over the Conway responsibilities. I am glad to see it wasn't just me.
 
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