911 call center creates expenses for E.L., Lansing

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A new joint 911 call center is being re-examined by the city of East Lansing.

The contract for the new call center, which will consolidate the two current 911 centers into one, is being contested by city officials from East Lansing.

City Manager Ted Staton said the city is upset because Ingham County officials are asking the city to pay pension costs for former workers — a cost the county used to carry.

The consolidated center will merge the East Lansing call center with the Lansing call center in a new facility, which is projected to save the county more than $6 million during a 10-year period, Ingham County Deputy Controller John Neilsen said.

The project will move all current employees of both centers into the new center.In the agreement, the city of East Lansing is required to pay retirement costs, called legacy costs, for any retired workers of the East Lansing center.

Staton said it’s unfair for the city of East Lansing and the city of Lansing to be required to pay for the costs, which previously were covered by the county.

Neilsen said the county has paid for approximately 95 percent of all costs going to the two centers.

Because of declining revenues, the merger was proposed and county officials said they would take staff from both centers and not fill positions of retirees in lieu of cutting staff.

“We think that the retiree cost for the people that have already retired are (the city’s) responsibility,” Neilsen said.

Staton said the city of East Lansing is calculating how much the city will have to pay for the legacy costs.

He said he understands the county is trying to negotiate a deal with its financial interests in mind, and East Lansing is doing the same.

“We’re going to continue to press our point,” Staton said. “It may fall on deaf ears or the logic of our position might start to take hold. I don’t know.”

Jerry Ambrose, the city of Lansing’s finance director, said the city of Lansing is not concerned with the excess costs.

He said the agreement would add some liabilities for the city of Lansing, but would eliminate liabilities as well.

“In an ideal world, it would be good for the county to pick up those expenses, but you have to draw the line somewhere,” he said.

Ambrose said the county could have made staff reapply for positions at the new center, but instead chose to keep current staff on board.

He said the city’s finance department has recommended the plan to the Lansing City Council.

Staton said the city of East Lansing plans to continue conversations with the county about the agreement and hopes to come to a resolution on the matter.

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