As local 911 answering centers move toward combining their staff and resources, city council members want to make sure the level of service stays the same or even higher than residents currently enjoy.

“The highest level of service wins out” was a phrase echoed by several speakers as the council’s public safety committee members heard a report from MCM Consulting Group at the meeting April 5 on the future direction of the region’s 911 system.

Committee Chair council member Adam Waldron was joined by committee members Eric Evans and Olga Negron-Dipini and council members Michael Colon and Shawn Martell. Council President J. William Reynolds also joined during the meeting.

MCM Director of Operations Jonathan Hansen, and President Mike McGrady explained that the state funding for local 911 centers under Chapter 53 Title 35 will end after June 30, 2019. The state is encouraging regional 911 centers or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

The area’s current 911 centers, in Bethlehem, Allentown, Northampton County and Lehigh County, commissioned the study to assess how best to combine resources. Two options include consolidating the two cities into their respective counties, or regionalization – combine all four into a Lehigh Valley PSAP.

If all four entities were combined, it would be the fourth largest PSAP in state.

The MCM report recommended that for now, Bethlehem merge with Northampton County and Allentown with Lehigh County. In the future, the counties could combine to form a regional PSAP for the Lehigh Valley.

Police Chief Mark DiLuzio said, “This is the first step.” He and other city representatives met with county staff and “had a good conversation,” he said. The next step, he said is a needs assessment. The MCM report “gives you a direction to go in and a lot to think about,” DiLuzio told council members.

DiLuzio said the cost is an open question. “We have an unfunded mandate from Harrisburg,” he said.

Evans said Northampton County 911 has “beautiful facilities.” Relieved he said. “It makes it a little simpler.”

MCGrady said the report also recommends an oversight board for the combined 911 facilities, which would have representatives from both the city and county, including an elected official from each entity.

Committee Chair Adam Waldron asked who 911 employees would work for, whether it would be Northampton County or a regional 911 authority.

McGrady said while a final decision has not yet been made, it would likely be as county employees. This would involve freezing the city pension and some cost for cross-training for city and county dispatchers to learn each other’s procedures.

Mayor Bob Donchez said the next step is to meet with Northampton County to discuss consolidating services and the associated costs.

Donchez said the study is incomplete since it does not address how much of the cost of implementation would be covered by PEMA.

Hansen said they did reach out to PEMA to see if there were funds available to assist with implementation. McGrady said possibly a more definitive answer will be available in May.

Colon, a former dispatcher for Northampton County, asked about PEMA funding such as when Pittsburgh merged with Allegheny County about 10 or 11 years ago. McGrady said no such funds were available then.

Evans asked where the camera operator would be located in the city or county facilities. McGrady said they should be with the dispatchers in the county facilities. McGrady agreed that Bethlehem’s cameras are part of the “next generation 911.”

Donchez said the city’s cameras are extremely important and should be maintained no matter the final outcome of the 911 regionalization process.

DiLuzio agreed that the city’s cameras are very important, “in some situations that can be the difference between life and death,” he said. “The cameras very valuable piece of equipment,” he said, but they will cost to maintain, whether at the city of county level.