2026-09-21 - Finance Committee

0:01Good evening. I will call to order the

0:03finance committee meeting meeting on

0:05September 21st, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Uh we

0:10have one item on the agenda this

0:11evening. Uh order number 26-1009828

0:16communication from the mayor. a draft

0:18intermunicipal agreement with the town

0:20of Hullbrook for a purposes purpose of

0:23regionalizing our dispatch operations uh

0:26with a proposed implementation date of

0:28July 2028.

0:30Um I will begin by reading the letter

0:33submitted by the mayor. Dear council

0:35president Oing and councilors, enclosed

0:38for your review and approval, please

0:40find a draft intermunicipal agreement by

0:42and between the city of Malbor and the

0:45town of Hullbrook for the purpose of

0:46joining a regional dispatch center with

0:49proposed implementation date of July

0:522028.

0:53Uh the city's consideration of re re

0:56regionalizing public safety dispatch

0:58operations uh is based on providing a

1:01stable, fully staffed, advanced

1:03technology uh sustainable and coste

1:06effective dispatch operation.

1:09Uh the city's public safety

1:10communications c center's history over

1:12the past 10 years demonstrates the

1:14significant uh challenges associated

1:17with maintaining the current operation.

1:19During that period, the city hired 29

1:22public safety dispatchers. Uh, of those

1:2529 employees, only seven remain in the

1:27position addition to one long-term

1:30employee. The average length of

1:32employment has been two years or less.

1:35Uh, the staffing challenges are also

1:37reflected in the city's overtime

1:39expenditures. Uh, the city receives

1:41approximately $200,000 annually through

1:44the 911 overtime grant. Uh yet overtime

1:48costs have consistently increased and

1:50have been greater than the annual grant

1:52amount in recent years. Uh being short

1:55staff puts an additional pressure on our

1:58current employees and takes officers off

2:00the line to help with dispatch. Uh with

2:03regionalizing uh the grant money that we

2:05currently receive will likely be

2:07increased. This is because the city

2:10could be eligible to apply for higher

2:12value grants for technology and other

2:14public safety related components. rather

2:17than for use of grants that cover

2:19overtime cost. Uh technology currently

2:22utilized by the city is outdated and

2:25relies on systems and programs that are

2:27approaching the end of their current

2:29operation operating systems. Uh the

2:32city's police dispatch currently uses

2:34the IMC police dispatch radio system.

2:37Um, as changes occur within public

2:39safety, communications, portions of the

2:41city's existing technology will no

2:43longer be supported sooner than later,

2:46uh, requiring us to make substantial

2:48investments to replace or modernize the

2:51system in order to maintain reliable uh,

2:54compatibility emergency communications.

2:57The fire department is also currently

2:59uh, operating on a new system. fire

3:02utilizes the red alert system while

3:04while other portions of the city's

3:06dispatch operations continue to operate

3:08on existing technology. Operating across

3:11multiple systems create additional

3:13complex training requirements,

3:15maintenance considerations, and costs.

3:17Uh regionalization provides an

3:20opportunity to address these technology

3:22challenges as part of a broader

3:25long-term communication strategy. Uh the

3:28town of Hallberg utilizes technology

3:30that is compatible with the red alert

3:32system currently used by the fire

3:34department. This is important as public

3:37safety communications technology

3:39continues to change. Maintaining

3:41separate aging systems can require

3:43significant capital investment simply to

3:46preserve the city's existing level of

3:48service. A regional model uh provides an

3:52opportunity to evaluate these technology

3:54needs collectively uh and achieve

3:57greater efficiencies and cost savings

3:59through shared infrastructure uh

4:01compatible systems and coordinate

4:03technology investments. Uh regionalizing

4:06dispatch is something that has been

4:08brought up before as the city continues

4:10to grow um as the demands placed on our

4:12public safety communication system and

4:15call volume continues to increase. Um,

4:18it provides the city with an opportunity

4:20to address the challenges noted above

4:22through a larger and more flexible

4:23staffing model. On a larger scale, the

4:26need to move to regionalization is uh so

4:29residents and public safety departments

4:31continue to receive reliable emergency

4:34communications coverage while making the

4:36most effective use of taxpayers

4:38resources. Also enclosed for your

4:40consideration is a proposed ordinance

4:43amendment to city uh ordinance section

4:46133-9

4:48uh regarding the uh police department's

4:50public safety communication center and

4:52unit. This amendment would incorporate

4:55language stating that section 133-9 is

4:58not intended to limit the ability to

5:00regionalize dispatch services of the

5:02city including any changes within the

5:05department relating to re reorgan

5:07regionalization.

5:09Uh the director of Hallbrook Regional

5:10Emergency Communication Center and I

5:12will be available at the next

5:14subcommittee meeting to answer any

5:16questions you have to provide any

5:17additional information. Uh in the

5:19meantime, please do not hesitate to

5:21contact me with any questions. Sincerely

5:23J. Christian Doom is Mayor. Good

5:25evening, Mayor. If you would like to

5:26bring up your team for the presentation,

5:29sir.

5:38>> Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Good evening,

5:39Mr. Hook. Thank you for being here.

5:41>> Good evening. Thank you.

5:45So, I will, if you don't mind, I'll jump

5:47in with a little backstory if you don't

5:49mind. So, thank you all for being here

5:50today. Obviously, Mr. Steven Hook is

5:52here who's the director of the

5:53communications for Hullbrook and he is

5:55here to to do provide us a presentation

5:57for you. Um, just regarding the benefits

6:00and what Hullbrook can offer the city of

6:02Malbor. But a little backstory with why

6:05we're here is uh since becoming mayor,

6:08the chiefs, both police and fire have

6:10really sat down and looked at many

6:12different public safety components

6:14within the city. With your approval, we

6:16hired a deputy chief that actually has a

6:18secession planning. We're able to um

6:20reform the traffic unit to better serve

6:23the needs for public safety when it

6:24comes to speeding and traffic. With your

6:26approval, we actually have land

6:28acquisition for a fire station. We took

6:30a look at the Pride Star ambulance

6:32contract and put that out to bid and now

6:34we have Coastal which actually has more

6:37beneficials um for the residents as well

6:39as more ambulances in the city of Malro.

6:42We're here now for regional dispatch. is

6:44just another layer as to provide um

6:46adequate service for the residents of

6:49Malro and for our safety of our police

6:51and fire each and every day. Every call

6:54that's made to 911, that's where they

6:56call. We call this number for the safety

6:59um for everyone involved. Our dispatch

7:01has not increased since the '9s. We have

7:04nine dispatchers. Obviously, the call

7:06volume has increased year after year

7:08after year. Sounds like a broken record

7:10being here with the call volume, but

7:11it's a fact. They're going to continue

7:13to grow. We have housing that's coming

7:15through you all on a regular basis for

7:18more growth. Our infrastructure, our

7:21public safety needs more call center

7:24help, which is why we're here. Um,

7:27regarding the dispatch team, if you I

7:29encourage all of you to go down to

7:31Hullbrook to look at the command center.

7:33I actually had the opportunity to visit.

7:35It is a truly remarkable command center.

7:38This is not a dig for our current

7:40dispatchers. Our dispatchers are truly

7:42the lifeline of making those phone

7:44calls. They do incredible work each and

7:45every day. If we provide a regional

7:47dispatch service, it gives them adequate

7:49adequate training and a possible career

7:52in the field and not just um trying to

7:55hire and then they move on to police or

7:57other avenues. So you can make a career

7:59if we regionalize with these

8:01dispatchers. Um so I encourage you all

8:04to go down to that. So if we were to

8:06continue our dispatch where we're at, we

8:08would have to do significant

8:10infrastructure needs and which is

8:12extremely costly. Our technology is

8:14completely out of date. The size of the

8:16dispatch room is not adequate. We would

8:19have to double in size. That means

8:20double the budget more overtime. It's

8:22significantly costly for the city of

8:24Malro to continue the structure that we

8:26have. Every other community in the area

8:29in the Commonwealth is moving to this

8:31area of regionalization. This isn't

8:33something new. The previous

8:34administration talked about

8:36regionalization as well. We're here or

8:38now. We can't delay this any further. Um

8:41and that's why we're here today. Um

8:44obviously this decision was not taken

8:46lightly. But however, we have to move

8:49forward at some point. Now that we have

8:51the land acquisition for the fire

8:53station, this was next in line with with

8:55this regionalization. So having said all

8:58that, um Mr. Hook can probably

9:00eloquently better as to why we're

9:02regionalizing with with Hullbrook. So,

9:04I'll let him take the floor through.

9:06>> Thank you, director.

9:06>> Thank you.

9:08>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, good evening, Mr.

9:10Chair, councilors. Hope everyone's well.

9:13Uh, my name is Steve Hook. I'm the

9:15communications director for the town of

9:16Hullbrook, the Hullbrook Regional

9:18Emergency Communications Center. Um,

9:21I've been in this profession for 33

9:24years. Started when I was 19. Uh I've

9:27held every position within the

9:29communication center. I was promoted to

9:32uh director back in 15 years ago. Back

9:36in 2005 or so, we could see the writing

9:38on the wall that the state was pushing

9:40regionalization. Being a small town, uh

9:43we took the initiative to become a

9:46regional center. Um so

9:50we could be employed basically. We we

9:53could see where it was going. Um, so we

9:56did that. Uh, now we are the largest

9:58regional center in the state

9:59populationwise.

10:01So, and we're very proud of that. We

10:03have a great product, uh, great team of

10:05people. So, if if you don't mind, I'll

10:08start the presentation.

10:09>> Thank you.

10:09>> Um,

10:12tell me button we're going to hit. Okay.

10:15>> All right. So, this is our mission

10:16statement. Um, I'll read it. The Horch

10:20Regional Emergency Communication Center

10:22is the first of the first responders. We

10:24are committed to answering 911 and

10:26non-emergency calls with

10:28professionalism, integrity, and

10:30compassion while efficiently dispatching

10:32police via emergency medical services.

10:35Customer service is essential to our

10:37success, so we treat each caller with

10:40empathy and respect. Our dedicated and

10:44highly trained professionals routinely

10:46offer life-saving medical instructions

10:48to in addition to providing accurate

10:50public safety information. So I I will

10:54say that um we are an awardwinning uh

10:58communication center. Our team has and

11:01our center itself have won many various

11:04awards uh including myself. Uh we have

11:07I' I've had uh director of the year for

11:10Massachusetts

11:12uh APCO Atlantic and APCO uh national

11:17international and we've also had uh team

11:20of the year for our communication center

11:23as well as some other awards as as well.

11:25So we're proud of that. And and I failed

11:27to introduce uh Katie Sylvia who's my

11:30assistant director. She's number two.

11:37So, just uh our regional center at a

11:41glance today, we we host 14 communities.

11:45Uh and we'll get into who those 14

11:47communities are. We have 85 plus

11:49telecommunicators.

11:51Um we have 92 employees. Some of those

11:54are not telecommunicators, and we'll get

11:56into what what those other people, what

11:58their roles are. We have 18 911 call

12:01positions, call taking positions, and we

12:04monitor technology. Uh we have a very

12:07vast um extensive

12:10uh technology networking system that we

12:13monitor 247.

12:15And again, we are the largest

12:17[clears throat] 91 center in the state

12:19based on population.

12:29Maybe

12:31there we go. Okay. So, this is our

12:33organizational chart. Uh, obviously

12:35myself, the the communications director,

12:37we have an assistant director, we have a

12:40deputy director, uh, we have an IT

12:43department, we have some IT

12:44professionals, uh, and we also have

12:47administrative assistant. Um, under the

12:50deputy director, we have an operations

12:51manager. Uh we have training

12:53coordinator, full-time training

12:55coordinator, full-time quality assurance

12:57analyst. Uh and we have four groups of

13:0116 telecommunicators on every shift. Uh

13:06out of that 16 people, one is a

13:08supervisor and we have three lead

13:10telecommunicators on those shifts as

13:12well. And each shift is run by the shift

13:15supervisor.

13:21So these are the communities we serve

13:22currently. Uh Abington, Avon, Canton,

13:27East Bridgewater, Fair Haven, Hullbrook,

13:30Hollist, Norwood, Rockland, Sharon,

13:35Sherbornne, Stoton, Sudbury, Whitman. We

13:40have two other IMAs, our intermunicipal

13:43agreements pending, not including

13:45Malbor. If it gets if it gets approved,

13:48that would be three. Um

13:51obviously you can see that these are

13:53spread out in different areas. They're

13:54not all uh touching each other. Uh and

13:58that's okay because the technology

14:00allows for that. We are able uh with our

14:02network of connectivity and and uh

14:06technology we're able to uh reliably

14:09serve these communities.

14:19So the regional service model um 911 and

14:23non-emergency call handling um including

14:26text to 911 and TTY responsibilities

14:29uh police fire emergency medical

14:31dispatch based on Malboro's approved uh

14:34service scope. We also do some DPWs as

14:37well um if that's needed. emergency

14:40medical dispatch instructions, quality

14:42assurance, quality improvement review.

14:44Uh ongoing training, certification

14:46management, and performance oversight.

14:48[snorts]

14:50Again, our radio network and

14:52communications technology. We have uh

14:54people on staff that handle our

14:55technology. We monitor it 24/7. We know

14:59all the time instantaneously if we have

15:01a piece of equipment in the field that

15:03goes out of service for whatever reason.

15:06Uh and we have built-in redundancies

15:09typically three three time redundancy

15:12for if we lose uh some connectivity

15:14someplace and we have interoper

15:17interoperability resources incident

15:19communication support and regional

15:21coordination and those are people that

15:23respond to scenes to support um

15:28largecale incidents and I believe we

15:31were at your your incident that you had

15:33at the Malbor Hospital uh a short time

15:36ago.

15:42Uh we maintain a robust radio system

15:45with extensive reach and network

15:47connectivity. Uh communications again

15:49our communications technology is

15:50monitored 24/7

15:52uh 365 with with redundancies in place.

15:56All of our main radio sites have three

15:58times redundancy typically a fiber

16:00connection, a microwave connection and

16:02RF as uh backup. So when when something

16:06fails, and it doesn't happen often, but

16:08when it does, uh the system

16:11automatically switches to a redundant

16:13line. So if we lose the main fiber to a

16:16site or a fire station or a police

16:18station, it will automatically switch to

16:20the backup, which is typically a

16:22microwave connection. And if that goes

16:24down for whatever reason, then it

16:25switches to RF, which is radio

16:28frequency.

16:30We have four communications leaders and

16:32one uh communications unit technician

16:35that can re that handles the technology

16:37and can respond to incidents and do

16:39resource management. We also have a

16:42drone team um

16:45that we can make available if needed. So

16:49this is our calendar year 2025 call

16:52volume. We had 60,392

16:54911 calls, 118 text to 911 sessions. We

16:59answered 100% of our 911 calls within 10

17:02seconds. That's pretty remarkable.

17:04There's not a lot of centers in the

17:05state that can do that. And we had 231

17:09over 231,000 calls for service. So, we

17:13are a very busy center. Um, but we have

17:16the capabilities to and the and the

17:19staff to to uh to manage that.

17:24So, we've been very successful uh with

17:27our grant awards. Just so uh the

17:30councilors know, um the state is really

17:33pushing regionalization. Uh if if if you

17:36if you guys look at your your telephone

17:38bills for landline or cell phones,

17:41you'll see a $150 search charge there.

17:43$150 911 search charge. That 911 search

17:46charge goes into

17:48um back to the state, back to the DTC.

17:52They manage the this funding and that

17:54money goes directly to support 911

17:57centers and PAPs, regional 911 centers,

17:59single PAPs, training and development of

18:02new centers. So, um that's where this

18:05money comes from. It's not a tax per se,

18:08but it's a a sir charge on everybody's

18:10telephone line. Um last year,

18:13development grant, which is the grant

18:15that is used to uh build out regional

18:19centers and technology. Last year we got

18:22almost $9 million

18:24um in support and incentive. Um I think

18:28the mayor mentioned that there was

18:30$200,000 that the city of Malar received

18:33last year. Uh we're receiving almost

18:36$5.2 million every year for that and

18:39that goes towards um

18:42salaries and infrastructure support. Our

18:45training program is almost $400,000

18:48every year and we have emergency medical

18:51dispatch um grant award of $33,000.

19:04Katie, what's our total grant awards for

19:06the last you know off the top of your

19:07head we're like $40 million I think in

19:10the last three years in in uh grant

19:12awards.

19:15So, what are the benefits of joining a

19:18regional communication center?

19:22There we go. So, right now, the state

19:24911 department has a um some incentives

19:28to joining a regional 911 center. And uh

19:32as it was stated, there's a lot of push.

19:35This is the way the state wants it to

19:36go.

19:37um they ultimately

19:41want every municipality to join a

19:43regional center. It's going to take a

19:45while to get there, but I think they've

19:46made a lot of progress over the last few

19:48years. Um so some of the some of the uh

19:52the benefits of joining it right now is

19:55the state uh

19:58is paying for the first three years 100%

20:02of the assessment for the first three

20:04years. So, um, if the the assessment for

20:07the city of Malro is, and I'm just using

20:10numbers, half a million dollars for the

20:12first three years, Malboro is not going

20:14to be required to pay that. The state 91

20:16department's going to pay that. On year

20:17four, it's going to be 50% of the

20:20assessment. In year five, it's going to

20:22be 25% of the assessment that they're

20:24going to pay. Um the other thing is with

20:28the development grant again we've had a

20:31lot of success and that's where the

20:33funding comes for your technology uh for

20:36construction of new buildings um stuff

20:39like that. So, we did go out and do an

20:41assessment uh back in last winter, maybe

20:45February, March. I remember there was

20:47snow on the ground. Um and we went to

20:51all the radio sites. We went to all the

20:52fire stations, the police station, and

20:54did a needs assessment uh on what was

20:58needed to what we could upgrade um and

21:01what was needed for the city of Malboro

21:03to join uh equipment wise for to to

21:07Hrek.

21:08Um, and I can go over what that funding

21:10was. It was upwards of $6 million

21:13initially. And again, this isn't a

21:15one-time deal. This is something that uh

21:18can can

21:20go year to year if if needs arise.

21:25So, this is the uh the proposed

21:28transition pathway uh initial

21:31discussion. We've been having

21:32discussions, I think, now for two years,

21:34mayor maybe. Uh we've been talking about

21:36this year and a half or so. We already

21:38did the needs assessment uh and now

21:40we're at number three really IMA and

21:42cost validation. Now in order we were

21:44ready to go um we did the needs

21:47assessment with the understanding that

21:48we were going to

21:51put Malboro's uh requests into last

21:54year's development grant. We didn't get

21:56there because we needed signed IMA for

21:59state and I1 department to uh allow that

22:01funding and allow that grant. So uh we

22:04didn't get there in time. Um but the the

22:06the the development grant comes out in

22:09December. Uh we start working on it. We

22:11have till the end of February, early

22:13March to complete it. It's a lot of

22:15work. It's a couple hundred pages at the

22:17end of the day. Um so it takes some time

22:19to to put it together. Um and then the

22:22awards come out in uh June typically.

22:26They're talking about changing that. Uh

22:28we'll see if that happens, but that's

22:30where it stands today. Um so number

22:33that's number four. Obviously once we

22:35get the IMA uh we we have the needs

22:38assessment we'll have to refresh the

22:39numbers because it's going to be a year

22:40old and we'll we'll submit that grant um

22:44opportunity. Now what I will say is

22:45those development grants are

22:47competitive. Uh the support and

22:49incentive the training the EMD are not

22:51but the um the development grant is

22:55competitive. Um today there's $50

22:57million to go around to all the regional

23:00paps. uh they're discussing on

23:02increasing that funding um but that has

23:05to be approved by the DTC. So once we

23:08get the funding and procurement uh we

23:11start um installing equipment, training

23:14personnel, reviewing policies and

23:16procedures uh that stuff like that. So

23:20uh that's number five and then obviously

23:22number six would be cut over which would

23:24be prior to July of 2028. So with that,

23:28that's a 10,000 ft overview. Uh I'd be

23:31happy to answer any questions.

23:34>> Thank you, Director Cook. Communications

23:36Cook.

23:36>> Thank you.

23:36>> I will open that to the finance team if

23:38anyone has any questions.

23:41>> Uh Council Fill.

23:44>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate it.

23:46And uh thank you, Director Hook. Thank

23:47you, Mr. Mayor, for being down here. Um

23:49appreciate the presentation. Also had a

23:51chance to watch the video that you folks

23:52had had released just about the uh

23:54facilities. So although I haven't seen

23:55it in person, very impressive to see it

23:57online and kind of the operation that

23:59you guys are putting together. Um I do

24:01have a couple of questions really quick.

24:03Um

24:04kind of around a couple different

24:06topics. So bear bear with me for a

24:07moment, but the first one um is in

24:10regards to anticipating how many

24:11additional dispatchers would be needed

24:14to bring on with an agreement like this,

24:15right? Coming on board with Malbor

24:17obviously have a number of different

24:18communities. I'm sure it varies on the

24:20size, but would theoretically if this

24:22were to go through, would there be a

24:23plan to bring more dispatchers on in

24:25Hullbrook?

24:26>> Absolutely. So, uh, we'd probably be

24:29looking at at least 12 additional

24:32dispatchers. Um, and we do have I'll

24:36bring this up now because I'm sure it

24:37will be asked, but we do have an

24:39opportunity to um bring on some of the

24:41existing telecommunicators that you

24:43have. Um, and and the way that works is

24:47we will um assume them at our rate of

24:50pay, which I'm not sure what what the

24:52men and women here make, but it's

24:54probably a little bit more money. Um,

24:56and they get to come over with their uh

25:00their time, meaning for retirement

25:02purposes, they'll go into the uh the

25:04North County retirement system. They can

25:06transfer in and they'll get their time

25:08for vacation and holidays and stuff like

25:12that. That was my very next question. So

25:14I I appreciate that. Um

25:15>> good question, council. That guy was on

25:17my list. Thank you.

25:17>> Thank Thank you, sir. But I think uh

25:19right, you know, given, you know, our

25:21dispatchers having nine, very imperative

25:23that, you know, I want to make sure that

25:24they're set up in a way that they are um

25:27you know, this is a a difficult

25:28conversation, but one that I want to

25:29make sure we're covering our bases there

25:31and looking out for those folks. Um

25:33couple questions now a little bit more

25:34unrelated, right? I understand that the

25:36development grant funding is kind of

25:38what's kickstarting this. That's what

25:40really helps out Malro in this capacity.

25:42Um I guess this question is a little bit

25:43more for the mayor, but right those

25:45first three years are covered, years

25:46four and five partially covered. What

25:49kind of happens after year five?

25:50Obviously we're we're on the hook there.

25:52We kind of come in. Is there grant

25:54funding that exists that is able to

25:56assist us in this? Um

25:57>> we're exploring other avenues once we

26:00get to there. So we can't do that until

26:01the is finalized.

26:03>> Fair enough. Fair enough.

26:04>> There is more planning that needs to

26:06happen.

26:07>> Yeah. Yeah. And I I I I think likewise I

26:09see right this massive, you know,

26:11long-term and short-term benefit. We

26:13would would be happy to engage in those

26:15conversations to see where things go

26:16after year five in terms of funding

26:18source for the city. Um,

26:20another question that I'd noticed just

26:22in the agreement itself about

26:23non-emergency calls, right? So business

26:26calls, that sort of stuff. If I call

26:28down to Malro police or Malbor fire, I'm

26:30usually able to talk to folks. I can

26:31talk to dispatch communications, right?

26:33I know that you folks will take those

26:35calls in for us. So what happens um in

26:38that case if somebody's trying to get in

26:39touch with the office of the chiefs or

26:41something like that, how does that kind

26:43of operate and play out? They go to the

26:45the dispatch center in Hullbrook, that

26:47call will get sent there and then it

26:48gets transferred over or

26:49>> So there's a couple of ways to do it,

26:51counselor. So um typically we'll, you

26:53know, we take the the the 10-digit

26:55emergency number.

26:57>> Um if it's a business line call, we'll

26:59transfer it back to the appropriate

27:01person. uh or and or it can go into a

27:04phone tree that's set up in Malboro um

27:07which some towns are okay with, some

27:09some are not. So, it really depends on

27:11what the requirements are for Malboro,

27:12but we're fine with it either way.

27:14>> Great. Thank Thank you, director. Um and

27:16last question for now. I know other

27:17folks have a lot of questions, so don't

27:19want to take up too much air time here,

27:20but um I noticed in section 5 C and D

27:24kind of some of the responsibilities for

27:25Malro. Just wanted to touch base about I

27:28our IT department here in Malbor and

27:30kind of what what they're on the plate

27:32for, right? So maintaining subscriber

27:34mobile, portables, all that sort of

27:36stuff. So there will still be some level

27:38of of work that our IT department and

27:40our chiefs are are maintaining here. Um

27:43but just kind of any any kind of further

27:44thought there. Um

27:46>> it has been in on these conversations

27:48quite a bit. So that has been ironed

27:51out. So

27:52>> all good. Just want to make sure that

27:54they're covered as well. And it seems

27:55like I assume this is common for other

27:57other municipalities as well. Their IT

27:59departments are still providing

28:00information still part of this process.

28:02>> Absolutely. Y

28:03>> they're an important part.

28:04>> Gotcha. Wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

28:06Thank you, director. Thank you, Mr.

28:07>> Thank you, Council Chill. Council Vital.

28:09>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you,

28:10gentlemen, for coming in tonight. Um,

28:13kind of to piggy back on realistically,

28:16I just checked it out. It it it's an

28:18hour drive for right now. If I want to

28:20drive to Hullberrook, uh during a rush

28:23hour, we're probably talking an hour and

28:2515. Realistically, our dispatchers

28:28probably won't be choosing to go that

28:30far away from Marbor. Is that Have we

28:33talked with those dispatchers about that

28:35opportunity? I I can't see them say,

28:37"Oh, yeah. I don't mind spending, you

28:38know, 3 hours in a car every day."

28:42>> That's a personal decision that everyone

28:44has to make. No, I know. But

28:45realistically, we're probably going to

28:46be dro laying off nine nine dispatches.

28:51>> The option is there for them to apply at

28:53whole.

28:53>> I understand. Very good. Right now, if I

28:56if a if a young lady um you know,

29:02ask somebody, hey, can you can you call

29:04my daddy just hit his head and he's by

29:06the soccer field. A local dispatcher

29:08knows exactly where that is. And I know

29:10you can ping a phone, but say that the

29:13girl ran and grabbed the nearest phone

29:15that she could find because she didn't

29:17have a phone herself. Our local

29:19dispatchers know where the soccer field

29:20is, but somebody in Hullbrook may not.

29:22And there's five soccer fields in Marro.

29:26How does that how do those local

29:27intricacies that our local dispatchers

29:30can handle that someone down in

29:32Hullbrook may not be able to?

29:33>> Sure. And and council, that's a great

29:35question. We get answer that. We we get

29:37asked that question all the time. So the

29:39there's a couple of ways, right?

29:40Technology number one. There's a lot of

29:42ways. Um and you can the 911 system does

29:45it, but we also use another program

29:47called rapid SOS. Uh I'm sure maybe your

29:51communication center uses that as well,

29:52but that can give us some better

29:54accuracy on where calls are from. The

29:56other thing as part of the training

29:57process, we send our telecommunicators

29:59here and they spend, you know, time down

30:02here learning your um

30:05your where the important places are in

30:08in the city. Uh and lastly, we it

30:11doesn't take very long to figure out the

30:13frequent flyers and and people who call

30:15all the time. And if I can just if I may

30:17just answer add to your last question

30:20about dispatches and and uh working in

30:23Hullberrook. So, I kind of let the cat

30:26out of the bag a little bit. We are

30:28building another center uh someplace. Um

30:31and we're looking in this area. So, um

30:36as we expand, we need to increase our

30:39capacity. So, we've been in discussions

30:41with the state 91 department on a second

30:43location.

30:44>> Thank you, gentlemen, very much. Thank

30:46you, Mr. Chair. Council

30:47>> Vital. Thank you, Council Orman.

30:50>> Thank you, and thank you for being here.

30:52Um, I have a few questions, but I'd like

30:55to just bring up a scenario that

30:56happened to me in New Hampshire, not

30:58Massachusetts, that was just brought up

31:00by Council of Vital. I was on the

31:02Kangamangas highway with a few friends.

31:05I was the one in charge of calling 911.

31:08I only had one friend that knew the area

31:10and he was assisting the person,

31:12diabetic shock. It took the fire

31:15department and ambulances almost a half

31:17hour to get there because they didn't

31:19know how to pin us or ping us or

31:21whatever they call it. But I'm glad to

31:24hear you're working on various programs.

31:26But it's concerning when the local

31:28knowledge of the area is not there, you

31:30know, and that happened to me real. It

31:33was scary. It was scary. Thankfully,

31:35there was a nurse at that rest area who

31:38assisted while we waited a half hour for

31:41911 to figure it out. not your issue,

31:43but just want to bring out the realistic

31:45picture that I actually faced by not

31:48having knowledge of where you're

31:50located. Um,

31:51>> can I touch base?

31:53>> But federal grants, are they part of

31:55this at all? When you get this grant

31:57money, this is all state grant, not

31:59dependent on federal grants. The only

32:02reason only reason I ask is

32:04regionalization is happening. I work in

32:06public health and they have

32:08regionalization in public health, but

32:10we're going to be in dire straits

32:12because the federal government is not

32:14funding future grants. And it's sad, you

32:18know, because I get the concept of

32:19regionalization. It can work. But I'm

32:22glad to hear this is all state money

32:23coming from the dollar whatever 25 from

32:26your phone bill. Um, yeah, you're ready,

32:29set, go. I can see that. Um, Mob was

32:32talking about a regional center in the

32:34new fire station and actually next door

32:37to us in Westboro, I believe North and

32:41another town, they're looking at a

32:42regional center which is closer to us.

32:45I'm surprised and maybe you can answer

32:47this that the state hasn't regulated

32:49this that you will belong to region 4A

32:53and you belong to region 7A based on

32:55distance. Are there any proposals for

32:58that? do you know at the state level to

33:00regionalize within

33:02>> a circular area versus all as you showed

33:05on the map it's all just all over the

33:07place

33:07>> to the chair um I'm sure Mr. can

33:10probably give a better answer but um for

33:13MRO it's difficult because our call

33:16volume and the size of us as a city is

33:18very challenging based upon other

33:21smaller towns in the area. So when you

33:24compare the call volume to a Hudson,

33:27Sudbury, Northro, West Bro, it's not the

33:29same. It's not equivalent. So we would

33:31take most of the those calls. And

33:34obviously the more you dive into the

33:35regionalization, you want someone who

33:37can actually handle the call volume and

33:40the level of growth that we are seem to

33:42be going at for that rate. So that's why

33:45we made the conscious decision to

33:48regionalize with Hullbrook because they

33:50can fit the needs that we have and the

33:53demands that we have for our city of our

33:56size and and to the point of the

33:58localization to be honest as mayor I

34:01don't know every park in the city

34:03either. So when you have that technology

34:06in the background, the training will be

34:09there. So they can actually have a

34:11concise location based upon the

34:13technology that Hullbrook can provide

34:16the dispatch. When we have a turnover

34:18rate with the city that's pretty high

34:20with our [snorts] dispatch team and

34:22trying to recruit and hire people, it's

34:24a constant training program of the same

34:26thing. So for me it's not that impactful

34:31if it's in another community because the

34:33technology will be there with

34:36Brookbrook. I don't know if you want to

34:37expand on any of that.

34:38>> If I can through the chair. So um great

34:41questions. So I just want to I just want

34:46to say that I was the chair I was a vice

34:48chair of the 91 commission. I sat in the

34:50911 commission for 10 years. So I have a

34:52lot of knowledge on the 911 system

34:53itself. I was chair of the standards

34:55committee. uh for a few years as well.

34:59The state the the the the Massachusetts

35:01911 system is the best in the country.

35:03So, we have the best technology. I'm not

35:05sure what New Hampshire has or how they

35:07ping calls, but Massachusetts certainly

35:10has the best 911 system in the country.

35:12Um and I know that the people that work

35:15on that are very proud of that. um as

35:18far as um the other centers and and and

35:23why 911 doesn't get involved in telling

35:27uh centers to you know town cities and

35:31towns you need to join this center it's

35:33basically to be frank it's politics

35:35right uh uh somebody in this town may

35:38not get along with somebody in this town

35:40and I don't think the state 911

35:41department wants to get involved in that

35:42they want to see this succeed so I think

35:45maybe someday it might come to that but

35:47I think right now they don't want to um

35:52they don't want to intervene in that.

35:54They want to see who can work together

35:57uh you know and and make it happen.

36:01>> Thank you. And I appreciate your

36:03sincerity and the real picture behind

36:05the picture. Um Mr. Mayor, have you

36:07considered a regional center for Malra?

36:10>> Yes. [snorts]

36:11>> And what happened to that plan?

36:13>> It's still there.

36:14>> Okay. that I I really feel the need to

36:18look at that especially since we're

36:20building a new fire department. We we'll

36:22have a nice setup down there.

36:23>> Councils one step at a time,

36:25>> you know. So, um

36:26>> well, hope we're building a new fire

36:28station.

36:28>> Well, regarding the fire station and

36:30then with the IMA, you know, like we

36:31have to like again it is part of the

36:34bigger plan here, but um having a

36:37meeting with the chiefs today, um it

36:39will not be at the location of the fire

36:41station. it should be its own separate

36:43building standalone for numerous

36:45reasons. Um but it's something that we

36:47are exploring and if Hullbrook is

36:48looking to expand um with the state

36:50crime lab and everything else going on

36:52with the city obviously it would be a

36:54fool not to um pitch that. So obviously

36:57our regional dispatchers can come back

36:59to work to the city of Malro if they

37:00choose not to go to Hullbrook. Um there

37:03there is a plan. I don't want to

37:05elaborate too much because there's

37:06nothing I don't want to overpromise and

37:08completely underdel but obviously that

37:10is something that's on on the forefront

37:13>> and you might have heard me on the floor

37:14I mentioned there's an article in a

37:16community advocate and I have it right

37:18in front of me it is the towns of

37:20Westboro Grafton Southboro and Northro's

37:23considering it but they want to

37:25>> slow it down a little bit and I feel the

37:26same way the selectman does in Northro

37:29let's take it step by step I know it's

37:312028 that you're looking at this but

37:34>> they're they're doing the same thing

37:35that brought it to mind when you said

37:36they're using the Jav building in

37:38Westbrook. So, I get that. I get the

37:40fact that you don't need that center in

37:42the fire department. Correct. So, but

37:45just the fact that we're building one

37:46and the fact that we get a lot of call

37:48volume, the chiefs know it and we're

37:51very the fire department's a very busy

37:54department. I I understand why the issue

37:57is in front of us, but

37:59>> I also wonder if we could look more

38:02local, especially when you have West

38:04Bro, Grafton, South Bro, and possibly

38:07North Bro looking at putting that center

38:09in in West Bro at 20 Phip Street. I

38:13don't think that's an hour drive, but

38:14again, and nothing against your center.

38:16You seem to have the primo center. Get

38:18ready, go is what it could be for us.

38:20But it's a distance. because of that

38:22through the chair we have done our due

38:25diligence and there's a lot of

38:26resistance with smaller towns because of

38:28our size.

38:29>> Oh, they're afraid of

38:30>> correct. So having said that this is the

38:33best option with Hullbrook, you know. Um

38:36>> how about Worcester? Has Worcester

38:37considered a regional area?

38:39>> I I again this is the best option that

38:42we that we've done our research for. So,

38:45um I think that this is the direction

38:48that we should go and that's why we

38:50pushed it out to 2028. The need is now,

38:52but we need to see what the grand

38:54funding is going to look like. Our

38:55contract says that we don't have to we

38:57can get out of that contract any time.

39:00So, again, it's all part of the plan to

39:01make sure it's clean, it's organized, we

39:04they have the proper time to hire

39:06accordingly. We know what the grant's

39:08going to look like and then we can move

39:10forward.

39:10>> We have a little time. It says July

39:132028. So, we got a little bit of time.

39:15>> Yes. But in order to get this grant

39:17funding in, we need the IMA signed so we

39:20can apply for that grant funding because

39:21we don't want to miss out on that

39:22opportunity.

39:23>> And it would be a hard cell for me based

39:25on location, but I'd be interested in

39:27knowing where that new location may be.

39:29You know, I don't know if you can

39:31divulge that right now,

39:32>> but we can't even discuss that until

39:34this IMA is signed.

39:35>> Understand? Well, I don't like to be

39:37hooked before I know what I'm trying to

39:38catch here. Um,

39:40>> well, what you are going to get is a

39:41regionalized dispatch for our public

39:43safety members and our residents so they

39:46feel safe when they call 911.

39:47>> Understandable. But again,

39:48>> that is what I can guarantee you.

39:50>> I understand that local knowledge to me

39:52is so important. Ironically, I don't

39:55want to see police officers running

39:57dispatch either. And I know back in the

40:0060s and 70s, they had a lieutenant on

40:03the dispatch at the Malro Police

40:05Department. It was my uncle. And that

40:07has

40:07>> and Maderas getting lieutenant pay to be

40:10a dispatcher. God rest his soul. He's

40:12passed now. But you know, I I understand

40:14the evolution. I I come from a public

40:17safety background

40:18>> and unfortunately that still happens

40:19where we have to take patrol and to

40:21cover it. I get it.

40:22>> We're still there after all these years

40:24>> and I get where the chief came through.

40:25I just got this today, but I had a quick

40:28chance to read it. So I there's a need

40:30there's definitely a need for capacity.

40:33I get that. I just don't want to jump

40:34too fast to capacity without seeing if

40:37we could get a local flare into this

40:39this process. But one question I have is

40:42we just saw a change in Marbor. We went

40:45from one ambulance service to another.

40:47Does this center handle ambulance calls?

40:52>> We'll handle Coastal's calls.

40:54>> So it's all coordinated effort.

40:56>> Oh, absolutely. Yeah. When you dial 911,

40:58they dispatch. I didn't know if it was

40:59just police and fire, you know, will

41:02include ambulance as well.

41:04>> Okay. And I the federal funding worries

41:07me because I see what happened in public

41:09health. Um I may have other questions,

41:11but I've taken some time up. I'll let

41:13the other counselors ask their

41:15questions. Thank you.

41:16>> Thank you, councelor.

41:17>> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

41:18>> Det.

41:18>> Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Um and

41:21thank you for showing up tonight getting

41:23and sharing this information you did. Um

41:26I think overall been

41:29talking to the police chief and uh the

41:32fire chief couple of generations now uh

41:35always complaining about the the lack of

41:37the facilities for the call center. Um

41:40and we've been talking about do a fire

41:42station all that stuff and the you know

41:44that the technology required to run a

41:46call station is getting bigger and

41:47bigger trying to fit 10 pounds in a 5B

41:50bag in the police department. So I

41:52completely understand the need to

41:54basically phase out technology that's on

41:57its way out and jump into a new platform

42:01lack of a better term that has the later

42:04technologies that we can utilize and

42:06learn from going forward. I think the

42:09proposal for cost is very reasonable

42:12almost nothing for three well nothing

42:14for three years. Thank you sir. Um, but

42:17I think that in the long term we should

42:20be considering, as you said, uh, a

42:23regional call center of our own. Um, I

42:26was going to bring that before you

42:27brought it up. So, good. Um, I think

42:30that, you know, learning from Hobbrook

42:32and and coming up with a way to be, you

42:35know, a redundancy for Hullbrook so they

42:38kind of collaborate together or

42:40something. You guys figure that out. But

42:42um I think this is definitely the trend

42:44to the future and allows the city to

42:47take advantage of the latest

42:48capabilities faster than if we're going

42:51to do it on our own because these guys

42:54are in operation and the North Brow

42:56South bro guys are still in the talking

42:58phase. So you guys are working now.

43:00That's why I like this you know with the

43:03internet and communications

43:06you know thank god it's in the state and

43:08not going to not going to India or

43:11something right um but my my concern

43:14because of distance still remains um you

43:18know communications bandwidth I assume

43:20that your entire system is all digital

43:21there's no true analog communications

43:24anymore

43:25>> so you know microwave gives you good

43:27bandwidth as long you got line of sight

43:29so I'm hoping we can get a line of sight

43:31between here and Hullbrook. I'd like to

43:33know how that works out. Um and then

43:35also any radio frequency, it's a

43:37bandwidth starts going down, you know.

43:39So redundancy is important and critical

43:42to make the operations work. Um but

43:45there also has to be some sort of

43:46contingency plan if communications

43:48breaks down, you know, and I and I did

43:51see that as part of the report at this

43:53point. So I think you you you've covered

43:56the issues. I think this is a reasonable

43:58step going forward and looking forward

44:01to see what goes beyond this. Thank you.

44:04>> Thank you, Council Gold.

44:08>> Thank you, gentlemen. Um my question is

44:11more in the um phase of we're we're in

44:14this all of Malro's um trucks are

44:18handling a huge fire somewhere. Now,

44:20normally we are calling on Hudson

44:24Southbro to cover other emergencies

44:27while our town is handling this one.

44:29Now, if they're not currently utilizing

44:32the Hullbrook Regional Center, would

44:36they still get the communications from

44:39our 911, you know, to call over Southbro

44:43for this e situation? Take

44:46>> this. Yeah. So currently we're the

44:50district 14 control point, fire control

44:52point. So we we manage that uh from our

44:56center already. So we're the fire

44:57district control point for Northark

44:58County and for Middle Sex County. So

45:01your your your fire at the hospital that

45:04was all managed by our center, the

45:06mutual aid portion of it.

45:08>> I just, you know, had these thoughts

45:09running through my brain. So thank you.

45:12>> It's a it's a valid concern. So we there

45:14actually be more support because they

45:16would have the infrastructure already to

45:17know who is where

45:19>> because of that. So

45:20>> perfect. Thank you.

45:21>> Thank you council. Good question. Uh

45:23council vital.

45:24>> Thank you Mr. Chair. Um I'm looking at

45:26appendix B and it looks like $750,000

45:31uh per year for this program. However,

45:33if we get all the paperwork in and so

45:35forth, the state would cover it for the

45:37first three years. So that would

45:39actually be and we are on a finance

45:41committee. So this would be a savings to

45:42the city, correct? If everything goes

45:44the way we would like to.

45:45>> Correct. Plus significant upgrades with

45:47our technology.

45:48>> Absolutely. So

45:49>> So that's all all good stuff.

45:52>> The termination clause that's um in

45:55section three, it says that either party

45:58can terminate in writing um without

46:00cause. Have you ever terminated another

46:03another municipality?

46:04>> No.

46:06>> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

46:07>> Thank you, Council Vital.

46:10Council AI.

46:11>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, thank you, Mr.

46:14Hook, Mr. Mayor. Um, so couple of points

46:17on what I heard and then a couple of

46:19questions. So,

46:22going to West Bro or North Bro, you're

46:24you're talking five, seven years away.

46:27They're not even up to speed yet. I

46:29mean, it's just I mean, it's it's not I

46:33don't I don't think it's reasonable to

46:34consider that. I mean I mean it it

46:37sounds nice as far as a local aspect.

46:41Our our dispatch fire dispatch is done

46:43out of the police station. I got three

46:46fire stations in three different parts

46:47of the city. I don't think there's been

46:50an issue with that. So that's really not

46:52an issue where the dispatching is coming

46:55from my opinion. I think you see the

46:58model if you go back to the

47:00the the that showed all the states

47:03there's approaching well over 50% of the

47:06state is now in a regional system. So

47:09it's not like you know we're alone.

47:13The we've been talking about this since

47:162021

47:18when Mayor Vig first proposed it. We

47:21looked to go up to Devons to get into

47:23their system and it was Malro, you're

47:26too big for us. So, you really need a

47:29mun or a regional dispatch center that

47:31has the capacity

47:33to take on Malboro. And from what I see,

47:39the Hullbrook dispatch regional dispatch

47:41center does. All right. On page five of

47:45the agreement, it talks about looking

47:47that Hullbrook wants to get a second

47:49site somewhere. Doesn't guarantee

47:52anything, but I think you heard it here.

47:55If you want one here, that gives us an

47:57opportunity to because we'll be a bigger

47:59player in the whole Brook system, which

48:02I assume assessment means Malbor gets

48:05more assessed value based. Is it based

48:07on population or call volume or how does

48:10that work, Steve? Yeah, it's based on um

48:13basically how many people we need to

48:15hire and what we need to do the job

48:17>> to do to to staff them all.

48:19>> All right. So, so so so you I look at

48:22that as a good thing. We we the

48:24termination piece if we want to get out

48:26of it, we can. But the importance of

48:28starting it now is to get the ball

48:30rolling on it. All right. Nothing's

48:32going to happen until 2028. I say that

48:34from our local dispatchers which are

48:37doing a tremendous job and it's not an

48:39indictment on our local dispatching

48:41team. All right. This is our technology

48:44needs to be updated. Our requirements

48:46and demands of the city are increasing

48:48that two dispatchers. I just need more

48:51staffing to to accommodate that. So am I

48:53going to pay for it out of our pocket

48:56with our money or is it taking advantage

48:59of a regional system the way to go? and

49:02the the handwriting's on the wall. We're

49:04going down the regional

49:07uh path. So, it's it's important, I

49:11believe, to get in with an outfit that's

49:13doing it right. I the name of the

49:15report, the Mass Alliance report that

49:17just came out today or this month, has

49:19nothing but glowing remarks for how the

49:22Hullbrook Regional Dispatch Center

49:24operates. That's auditing, staffing,

49:27response times, call volume. Uh, and and

49:31and I encourage you to look at the

49:32video. The video the the facility is

49:35impressive. Um,

49:38I I just this it's time. I mean, the

49:41challenges are there. I get it. Um, but

49:44again, you guys are making decisions for

49:4642,000 people, not the eight people that

49:50work in the dispatch center. And that's

49:52a hard decision. I don't want to

49:53belittle that. Correct.

49:55>> But opportunities will be provided. And

49:58I'm the wrong guy to ask. I drove up to

50:00Seabbrook 140 miles a day. So I'm the

50:02wrong guy to ask about commuting to work

50:04for 35 years.

50:06But that was my choice. That may not be

50:08someone else's choice. But if you get

50:10the dispatch center to be potent the

50:13second one built in this area because

50:15Sudbury is doing it right now.

50:17I don't hear anybody screaming in

50:19Sudbury that the world's coming to an

50:20end. All right. It it's it it it's one

50:24of those things. Change is hard. No one

50:26likes it. Somebody's always impacted by

50:28it. Our decision is what is the right

50:31change for the city. All right? And it's

50:35not it's not necessarily always an easy

50:37one. But remember, you're representing

50:39everybody. All right? So, so that

50:42decision is important. So, we talked

50:43about termination. We don't like what's

50:45going on. We get out. It's not a 20-year

50:46contract. we can get out if Westbrook

50:49comes up and has this whisbang super

50:51duper regional dispatch center and we

50:53want to go join it in 2035. I would be

50:56my earliest guess then we can go do

50:59that.

51:01Um but that's in that's in the agreement

51:03which is which is perfect. The job

51:05opportunities folks will be offered

51:07them. He's got to hire 12 folks. All

51:09right. He's got folks here that now do

51:12the job. All right. That's but that'll

51:15be their decision. That's a personal

51:17decision. The cost of the project, you

51:20know, the city's going to be saving

51:22significant money in the initial couple

51:24of years, not having the fund. We

51:26currently pay $567,000

51:29a year in dispatch salaries, and that's

51:32not on top of all the overtime that was

51:33over

51:35$600 and something,000

51:38uh this year. Uh not all to dispatches.

51:42um

51:43save. Uh I you you touched on pay, Mr.

51:46Hook, that I wanted to touch on. Do you

51:48know what the starting salaries or what

51:50the the salaries are for dispatchers in

51:53the whole Brook system? Ballpark.

51:55>> I do. So starting salary is to walk in

51:58the door $78,000

52:00approximately.

52:01>> So walk-in for the city of Malro

52:03dispatch is $60,000.

52:06So you start right now hire as a

52:08dispatcher, you're making $60,000 a

52:10year. And there's significant

52:12>> there's significant growth with

52:14wholebrook as well between the training

52:16and becoming a shift supervisor and a

52:18leader. So again there significant

52:19growth after that even walking in. So I

52:21just want to make that clear as well

52:23like it's

52:25>> fair. So so that's a significant

52:28uh increase in pay. Um and you talked

52:33about how the municipalities are

52:34assessed. So, two things that have to

52:36happen this evening or finance committee

52:38that I'm hoping at least thinking about

52:40is one a vote on the agreement and the

52:42second is a vote on the ordinance change

52:44because we have to update the ordinance

52:46change to allow what I call the

52:49flexibility to use a regional dispatch

52:51model. So, those would be the two

52:53motions that um the finance committee

52:57should be taking up. one to approve the

53:00intermunicipal agreement and the other

53:02to approve the ordinance change

53:05>> and that's to to to do the amendment to

53:08133-9.

53:09>> That is correct.

53:09>> Thank you, Mr. President.

53:10>> Thank you.

53:11>> Thank you, Mr. President.

53:12>> Through you, Mr. Chair. So, this is in

53:13proper legal form. Our city solicitor

53:15did review the contract as well as Mr.

53:17Hook in Hullbrook. So, they're ready to

53:19go with that. Um, we do not need a

53:21suspension. So, if you want to vote on

53:22this for the October meeting, it gives

53:25you all enough time if you want to go

53:26down to Hullbrook. I strongly encourage

53:29that. I I did take a tour. Um it's a

53:32pretty impressive facility. Um and I

53:36think

53:37they put their money where their mouth

53:39is when you see how expansive this

53:42dispatch center is. So, thank you. I

53:45know for the fire chiefs that I reached

53:47out to, uh five-star training was

53:50amazing training. Always prepared under

53:53pressure. Um I also noticed by looking

53:55at these communities a lot of them use a

53:57strong uh GIS mapping system um which is

54:01all the technology they're doing uh for

54:03when we get uh uh you know other newer

54:06units that's always in communication

54:08technology with our is department. Um so

54:10yeah I was very happy to see all the the

54:13uh the fivestar reviews. So thank you

54:15for presentation. Thank you.

54:17>> And oh, councilor,

54:19>> I just have a couple questions. Would

54:20Marro I'm looking at all the

54:22communities? Norwood I know is a pretty

54:23good size. Would Marro be the largest

54:25community you would have in there if we

54:27join?

54:28>> Yes, it's a little bit bigger than

54:30Norwood. We have Norwood Stoen. They're

54:33pretty big communities, but Marro would

54:34be the biggest.

54:36>> And um the termination policy, I do like

54:39that, too, because it's just so

54:41variable. Distances, we talked about

54:43that. We don't have to drag that down

54:44again. Um,

54:47I'm curious and I'm going to do my own

54:49research. I don't know if I can vote

54:51tonight until I find out Westbrow how

54:53soon they plan. Is it 2035 as mentioned

54:56by councelor Rosing or is it next year?

54:58You know, I don't know and I'd like to

55:00find out that answer before I vote.

55:02Thank you, Mr. Chair.

55:03>> Thank you, Council.

55:06>> Council Fill.

55:07>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. um paraphrasing a

55:10bit, but I know we got a a very nice

55:12memo from the chief of the fire

55:13department just regarding um their

55:15support for this. And I know that with

55:16every budget cycle, our council is

55:19reminded that our city services need to

55:21keep pace with our growing city. And I

55:22really believe that that's true of our

55:24emergency communications. And I believe

55:26that this is this is the perfect fit for

55:28that, right? To make sure that we are

55:30keeping pace with with this city. And

55:31and for that reason, I am in full

55:33support of of moving forward this. Um,

55:35we'll take these up one at a time, but I

55:37will move now to approve the order to

55:39allow the mayor to enter into an

55:40intermiss intermunicipal agreement with

55:42the town of Hullbrook.

55:43>> And we we can, if you wish, we can add

55:45the other one. Right. Right. With it.

55:47>> Also move to approve the ordinance

55:48amendment to section 133-9-9.

55:51Thank you, council. Motion's been made

55:53and seconded to approve order number

55:5626-1009828.

55:59um authorizing the mayor to enter into

56:01an intermissionable agreement for the

56:03fire and police dispatch service

56:05services between the city of Malbor and

56:08the town of Hallbrook and to amend

56:10chapter 133-9 and inserting a new

56:14section of 133-9F

56:17to read as follows uh which is section F

56:21noting in section 133-9 shall be deemed

56:24to limit the ability to regionalize

56:26dispatch services of the city uh

56:28including but not limited to any

56:30associated location of facilities for

56:33the public safety communication center,

56:35PSAP, or other communication centers and

56:38modifications to staffing or

56:40reorganizations of the police

56:42department. Motion's been made and

56:44second. Any further discussion?

56:47Council or I just previously noted it.

56:50I'm uncomfortable voting tonight. I may

56:52change my vote by the council meeting if

56:55I find out Westbrow's going to be in

56:582035. Thank you.

57:00>> Thank you, council.

57:00>> Mr. President,

57:02>> Mr. President,

57:02>> so I'm saying 2035. I mean, Mr. Hook,

57:06you might know how long it takes to get

57:07it thing like this up and running. I'm

57:09seeing you've got one up and running and

57:11it's taking us almost two years to get

57:12us to participate in your up and running

57:16facility.

57:17any insights that you'd want to share if

57:19if if someone's starting a new regional

57:22facility today on their own what that

57:24would take?

57:25>> I I can through you, Mr. Chair. Uh um it

57:30I'll be honest and I I don't want to

57:32speak negatively of any other center in

57:34the state. Um but some of these don't

57:37even get off the ground. Um some of them

57:40uh they they have challenges. uh they

57:43want to regionalize regionalize and they

57:45see the benefits of it but they just

57:46can't get it off the ground. So to

57:48answer the question I don't know I don't

57:50think they know um but it it it's

57:54probably years away

57:57>> and to that point with you Mr. Chair

57:59just because even if they are ready next

58:01year that doesn't mean that they'll take

58:02us either because of our size. So

58:05there's also that too. So it's a gamble

58:08either way. If you want to wait, that's

58:11fine. But what if they say no? Even if

58:14they are ready, you know, because again,

58:16most of the smaller regionalizations

58:18that we've been in communication with

58:20have declined us moving forward to

58:23joining them. So, there's also that

58:26component as well.

58:27>> Mr. Chair, if I may, and I do

58:28[clears throat] plan on calling the

58:29Devon's uh group as well and see what

58:32the situation was. You mentioned it

58:35earlier, politics. I don't like

58:38politics. I'm in here to be a

58:39representative and it concerns me

58:42because I see the models in public

58:44health and they are more rounded and

58:47inclusive. Um, shame on the state if

58:50it's politics. If that's the case, I

58:53want to make sure we get a regional

58:56dispatch that is familiar with this

58:58area.

59:00>> And Deon,

59:00>> you sound like you have a perfect model.

59:03Shouldn't be a problem getting someone

59:04else to get a perfect model. So, I'm not

59:06in any way concerned with your model and

59:10your what you're representing. I'm just

59:12concerned with the distance.

59:14>> We went to we went to Devon's as well

59:15and they turned us down.

59:17>> I'd like to find out why

59:18>> because of our size.

59:19>> Well, that public health and public

59:21>> it's also a different model. They're a

59:23host host model as opposed to um so

59:27every representative all the town

59:28administrators actually have a vote as

59:30well as the fire chief as well. So they

59:32all went and had a meeting when we had

59:34discussion. We were we were there. We

59:35went to the meeting we wanted and they

59:37said no because of our size.

59:39>> If I may, Mr. Chair, I felt that same

59:41pain when they were trying to

59:42regionalize public health. Everyone was

59:44afraid of Framingham because they were

59:46bigger than all us other little towns

59:47near them. I get it. I understand.

59:50That's why politics should not be

59:51involved with this decision. And I will

59:54get to the bottom of that too. I'm very

59:55concerned that this isn't regionalized

59:58the way it should be, you know, but not

1:00:00concerned with your product. You have a

1:00:02good product. It sounds like

1:00:03>> the director at Devons lives in Malro.

1:00:05She wanted Malro. She was advocating.

1:00:07That's when I was talking to the Berlin

1:00:08town administrator. They wanted Malro.

1:00:09She lives in Malro. Everything was

1:00:11coming up Malro, but when it came to the

1:00:13final vote, they they did not want for

1:00:16the size. So,

1:00:17>> well, and again, I appreciate your

1:00:19sincerity. That shouldn't be a factor.

1:00:21It is a and that's why we're here, you

1:00:24know. Exactly.

1:00:25>> We have someone who actually wants to

1:00:26work with us and actually have the city

1:00:28succeed. And that's where the

1:00:29termination policy when I get my answers

1:00:32>> fits in case I am concerned about

1:00:34getting it closer tomorrow.

1:00:36>> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:00:38>> President you would

1:00:39>> I I would just say council if you want

1:00:40call Sbury. Sbury switched over. They're

1:00:43part of the system. They're right next

1:00:44door. Take a ride over and talk to the

1:00:46chiefs. Get get your that's firsthand

1:00:49knowledge. what challenges they have,

1:00:51you know, swapping over from, you know,

1:00:54their current operation to a regional

1:00:55dispatch center

1:00:57>> and go to Brook.

1:00:58>> Go to Brook.

1:00:59>> That's that's a very good point,

1:01:00President Oman. Motion's been made and

1:01:02seconded. Um all in no further

1:01:06discussion. All in favor? One, two,

1:01:08three, four. All opposed?

1:01:10One. It carries 4 to one. I will

1:01:14entertain a motion

1:01:16>> to Mr. Chair like

1:01:19>> make a motion to adjurnn.

1:01:20>> Motion's been made and seconded to

1:01:22adjourn. All in favor? 1 2 3 4 5. We

1:01:25adjourn at 7:31 p.m.

1:01:28>> Thank you.