December 3, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Midland Park Town anticipates smooth transition in dispatch switch Despite a short timeframe, Midland Park officials anticipate no disruption in service with the proposed switch of the borough’s emergency dispatch services to the Bergen County Public Safety Operating Center in Mahwah as of Jan. 1. The current con- tract with the Township of Wyckoff, which had been in effect since 1998 and was not renewed, will expire on Dec. 31. The final details of a formal agreement are being worked out, but Acting Police Chief Michael Powderley, who has been handling the negotiations for the borough, said he is confident everything will be worked out in a timely manner. Powderley said should any hitches arise, the county has the resources to help on an interim basis and Wyckoff is also prepared to help work through any problems. “We know from Chief Fox that Wyckoff is not going to turn off the lights on Janu- ary 1. We both understand the situation and have backups in place,” Powderley added. The township is also switching its dispatch operations to the county center on Jan. 1. “I fully expect the transition to be rela- tively smooth and efficient. The council and I have been assured the departments will have effective dispatching to include the proper digital radios compatible with the county dispatch center. We most likely will want / need additional equipment which will be addressed in the 2015 budget process. How- ever, our departments are professional, and there is no question in my mind that they will make the transition work. I have heard from the mayors of Alpine and Harrington Park, and they assured me that the county dispatch works well,” said Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan. “Keep in mind that our neighbors in Wyckoff are switching as well, so that should mean that we can continue to communicate with Wyckoff, the county and, of course, Ridgewood’s Central Dis- patch depending on the need and level of communications required at the time. We have helped our neighbors in the past, and I’m sure they will all be available should a circumstance warrant such assistance and support.” The switch is expected to provide sub- stantial savings and enhanced services to the municipality. According to the terms of the proposal negotiated under Powderley’s leadership, the borough will pay $160,000 a year for each of the next five years, with no annual escalation clause. Included in this amount, however, is a $25,000 set aside to be used for any equipment or other enhance- ments needed by the borough over the life of the contract. And there will be no start-up fees, interface charges for the new records management system, or additional usage charges for the trunk radio system. Emer- gency 9-1-1 service will also be included, a service now provided by Paramus at an additional cost. After the termination of the contract with Wyckoff, Midland Park considered going to Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch in Ridgewood. Their proposal, which did not include connection or start-up costs, would ultimately have cost the borough more than $300,000 a year during the five-year term of the contract, plus annual increases not to exceed 5 percent in any given year to offset increases in operating costs. (continued on page 10)