COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR RESOLUTION NO. 150270

Affirming the commitment by the City Council of Kansas City to partner with the Mid-America Regional Council, area cities and counties in the region in efforts to cooperate in providing emergency dispatch services.

WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the critical need to identify and reduce areas of redundant services, where appropriate, with area partners; and

WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the potential reduction in overall costs and improvements in emergency response times that can result from interjurisdictional cooperation in providing emergency dispatch services; and

WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that regional cooperation in providing emergency dispatch services within the area will result in improved deployment of emergency equipment and personnel in times of need; and

WHEREAS, such regional cooperation can take the form of interjurisdictional agreements between two or more jurisdictions or multijurisdictional agreements with shared governing structures; and

WHEREAS, it is important that the City’s highly trained emergency dispatchers be given a voice in all discussions regarding interjurisdictional cooperation in providing emergency dispatch services through representatives of their respective labor unions; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

That the City Manager is directed to participate with other area cities and counties and the Kansas City Police Department in exploring options for regional cooperation in providing emergency dispatch services which should include representatives from public safety agencies in the area, the Mid-America Regional Council and the respective labor unions that represent the City’s emergency dispatchers.

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