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03/23/2017 11:50 AMThe Town Council convenes tonight for a special meeting to review the status of North Branford's 911 Dispatch Center and hear options which include moving dispatchers out of the town's police department to operate out of Branford's 911 Dispatch Center.
As previously reported, Town Manager Michael Paulhus emphasized the meeting is not a public hearing but is instead an information gathering session which invites "stakeholders" to give input to the Town Council (see the story here). Tonight's special meeting agenda, made available on March 20, includes an opportunity for the town's dispatchers and union representatives to address the council (see the agenda here). The workers are members of Council 4 AFSCME Local 13030-155.
In an advisory issued to print, broadcast and other media today, Council 4 AFSCME Local 13030-155 said workers will deliver the message "Don't Let North Branford Go Dark" at tonight's meeting, and further states the "...bargaining unit members will voice their concerns about the negative impact on public safety in North Branford if the dispatch center is shuttered."
Council 4 AFSCME Local 13030-155 represents a total of 18 North Branford Town Hall employees. The town currently employs four full-time and one part-time dispatcher.
To address a growing number of emergency center calls and equipment upgrade needs, the idea to move the town's 911 operation center to Branford has been under exploration by North Branford's Public Safety Communications Committee since 2016. The move would also make the town eligible to receive multi-town dispatch state grant funding.
The town's dispatch center is currently located in the police station on Forest Road. One dispatcher is always operating the center 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When regular administrative staff leave the building, the dispatcher on duty remains on site. The dispatchers' union argues moving North Branford's dispatchers to Branford would potentially leave North Branford's police station's administrative offices "dark" after regular administrative staff office hours end at 4:30 p.m. daily and also "dark" on weekends. The union also notes having a dispatcher at the desk around the clock provides a public contact for those who come to the station at times when officers on duty may be away from the building.
The public meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday March 23 at North Branford Intermediate School in the cafeteria (654 Foxon Road).