Battle Looms As Palm Beach County, Florida Cities Oppose Centralized Dispatch Center

The county plan to create tougher standards for equipment and training, as well as handle all fire and ambulance calls, has earned the ire of city leaders who view it as a wresting control over their departments.

Boca Raton already has set aside $100,000 to study the county's proposal and prepare for a possible legal fight. Boynton Beach commissioners tonight are to vote on whether to join Boca Raton in a legal challenge. The cost could be as much as $50,000, according to Boynton Beach estimates.

City officials say they're still studying the plan, first discussed in April, but see several potential problems.

A single fire-dispatch center could amount to double taxation because cities would help pay for the system but might not use it. They might still keep their own dispatch centers.

They also contend that a countywide fire dispatch center wouldn't save money because cities still would keep their police dispatch systems.

Some city leaders also are concerned about the effect of having departments respond to calls outside their jurisdictions.

"The city taxpayers are spending millions on improving our already outstanding fire-rescue operations," said Boca Raton City Manager Leif Ahnell.

Discussion of centralized fire dispatch is expected in October, when the County Commission debates a countywide standard for fire departments.

County Administrator Bob Weisman said the idea of central dispatch was simple: All 911 fire calls would go to a central location rather than to each department.The closest fire or rescue units would respond, he said. That might mean Delray Beach firefighters would handle a situation just across the city line in Boca Raton.

"The idea [is] that the central dispatch would allow the closest units to respond to the closest incidents," Weisman said. "Since everybody would meet the level of service standards, it wouldn't matter so much who responded."

County property taxes would pay for the dispatch center. Property owners in unincorporated parts of the county, along with those in cities that use the county fire-rescue service, pay a separate fire tax. Most property owners in cities pay for fire service through their property taxes.

City officials argue they've already spent millions improving their fire stations and buying new radios. Sending more money to the county for its fire system isn't an appealing option.

"I'm concerned, just like all the cities should be concerned, about the ... potential for double taxation," said Boynton Beach Fire Chief Bill Bingham. "I see the potential for adverse effects on cities like Boca and Boynton because we already have our own communication systems. ... At the same time, I think a countywide level of service is not an entirely negative thing, to the extent a person should be able to come into Palm Beach County and expect consistent response, no matter where they are."

Weisman said cities would have a financial incentive to participate. They would no longer handle calls for fire and paramedic units.

The estimated cost for the fiscal year starting in October 2004 is $5 million, although that would increase over time, Weisman said. It would take less than 10 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value to generate more than enough to cover the $5 million, he said.

For the owner of a home with an assessed value of $200,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption, that would come to $17.50 annually.

At that rate, property owners in Boca Raton -- which has the county's highest total assessed property value -- would pay more than $1 million for a dispatch system city leaders say they're not inclined to use.

Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Mike Ferguson thinks the county should drop the idea.

"We're doing just fine. I think the county should butt out," Ferguson said. "I think this is a push for power, a power grab."

Staff Writer Beth P. Krane contributed to this report.