Type:

Consolidating Services

Elections - working with Cities

Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process:

Anoka County Elections Dept., Cities within in Anoka County.

Why did you collaborate on this effort?

Elections department has worked with all cities within the counties, involved in upcoming elections in preparing for, training, and working together as one unit for a successful election.

Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to others:

Improved services and streamline of services for both Anoka County, cities within Anoka County and to our customers.

What have been the outcomes to-date?

Communication.

Resources:

For more information,
please contact:

Dee Guthman, Administration Specialist

dee.guthman@co.anoka.mn.us   

Type:

Consolidating Services

Public Safety Communication System\800MHz

Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process:

Within the Ramsey County geographic area:

* Radio System:  Ramsey County, Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Gem Lake, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, North St. Paul, Roseville, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Township and White Bear Lake City.  (The Saint Paul School District Transportation System will also use the system.)

*  Dispatch Center:  Ramsey County, Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Gem Lake, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, North St. Paul, Roseville, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Township and White Bear Lake City. 

Beyond the Ramsey County geographic area:

The State of Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Carver County, Anoka County, Olmstead County and Stearns County are currently using the regional (Metropolitan Emergency Services Board-MESB) and state (State Radio Board-SRB) radio systems.  Dakota County and Washington County are in the process of joining the systems.  The state hopes to have local governments throughout the state on the system eventually.

Why did you collaborate on this effort?

This project consolidates:

Within the Ramsey County geographic area:

* Radio Systems for all local public safety agencies including suburban communities and Saint Paul.

*  Public safety dispatching for most suburban communities and Saint Paul

Beyond the Ramsey County geographic area:  The radio system will be integrated with regional and, eventually statewide radio systems.

Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to others:

Service and finances are both important concerns.

SERVICE RELATED: 

*Radio system:  Radio system coverage and the quality of the transmissions will be improved by the new equipment.  In addition, interoperable communications, the ability to communicate easily with other jurisdictions when necessary, is now considered a critical need in public safety.  This system's technology will provide exceptional interoperability.  Perhaps more importantly, the agencies from the jurisdictions have been working closely to coordinate how they use the system so that the on-air communications across agencies is improved.

* Dispatch operations:  New, state of the art equipment will replace old technology.  The resources available across jurisdictions will be more balanced.  By having most jurisdictions dispatched from the same location, the ability to work with an event that involves several jurisdictions will improve.

FINANCIAL:  All of the technologies used are expensive and can serve large areas.  By consolidating, duplicate costs will be avoided for initial capital costs and continuing operating costs for staff, training, service, etc. which would have occurred if multiple jurisdictions developed parallel systems.

What have been the outcomes to-date?

Communication, partnership and persistence.

This project has had many challenges including  technical, financial, logistical, bureaucratic intergovernmental and weather.  Perhaps the biggest challenge is bridging the natural gaps between the needs of the suburban communities with the Saint Paul's large city structure. 

The major challenges have been meet by leaders who have been willing to listen, talk and keep coming back to revisit issues until resolution occurred.

There as a draft document that describes some of the challenges in more detail.

Resources:

Ramsey County has received significant federal and state financial assistance for capital costs.

The radio system infrastructure is complete.  Agencies will transition to the system as soon as staff their staff is trained. The first agencies will start using it in daily operations in early September 2006.  All agencies will be on the system by mid-2007.

A new dispatch center is being built for consolidated dispatch operations.  It will be operational in 2007.

The following link will connect to a web site with additional information.

http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/cp/800mhz/Index.htm

Once you are at the web site, the "Proposals/Resolutions" link on the left-hand side leads to reports with more detail.

This project has received significant financial support from the US Department of Homeland Security's Interoperable Communication Equipment Grant Program and the State of Minnesota's ARMER program.

For more information,
please contact:

Connie Catlin, Dir. Policy Analysis & Planning

connie.catlin@co.ramsey.mn.us    

Type:

Consolidating Services

Red River Regional Dispatch Center

Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process:

Clay County (MN), City of Moorhead (MN), Cass County (ND) City of Fargo (ND) and Fargo-Moorhead Ambulance Service

Why did you collaborate on this effort?

Local Governments in the Fargo (ND)/Moorhead (MN) metropolitan area have collaborated to consolidate the local dispatch functions  under a Joint Regional Dispatch Center through a Joint Powers Agreement.

Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to others:

1)Need for improved and seemless communications among numerous involved parties (such as law enforcement, fire, ambulence, and emergency services) when responding to incidents, fires and emergency situations.

2. Need to address compatibility problems with communication equipment (such as radios, repeaters, dispatch consoles etc.)used by different local entities.

3. Need for cost containment through economies of scales.

What have been the outcomes to-date?

Key to Success was a firm committment from all participating local governments and key officials to "make it happen". One of the key chellenges was to draft the human resources policies and procedures for the center staff that conformed to varying labor laws of two different states.

Resources:

Since its establisment in 2002 the Red River Dispatch Center has effectively met its objectives of immproved communications, equipment copatibility and cost containment. This joint venture serves as a shining example of collaboration among local governments in two states and two federal regions

Further information can be obtained by contacting Kathy Colvin, Director at (701)451 7684 or KColvin@RRRDC.com,  or by logging on to www.rrrdc.com

For more information,
please contact:

Kathy Colvin, Director

KColvin@RRRDC.com