E.L. should pay county 911 center's legacy costs

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A new deal has been made to consolidate Ingham County’s two 911 call centers. The project will save the county $6 million throughout a 10-year period and will combine the two centers in East Lansing and Lansing into one. Construction is slated to begin early this spring.

And, despite the county’s savings, East Lansing officials aren’t happy about their financial obligations.

Lack of revenue from both centers brought about the idea of joining the two. The cities essentially have served as middlemen between the county and users of the 911 services. Now, the county wants to run the show and save some money while doing it.

The county has paid for about 95 percent of the costs for the call centers, while the cities have been covering the remaining 5 percent, which amounts to about $79,000 a year for the city of East Lansing. The new center will keep the same employees from the previous centers but will not be replacing retired workers. Although Ingham County officials and Lansing officials agree the project will eliminate liabilities, East Lansing officials see a burden that they should not have to cover — at least not fully.

The costs of pension plans of retired workers now might sit on the shoulders of East Lansing and Lansing’s budgets. If the current proposal goes through, East Lansing will have to pick up the five people currently on the pension plan at a cost of about $100,000 per year.

Because East Lansing currently is covering only 5 percent of the costs of the pensions, city officials feel little need to cover the entire cost of the pensions once the switch is made. If East Lansing is required to pay all of the pensions, they will be paying $100,000 per year, as opposed to the $79,000 they are paying now — a difference of $21,000. Although that’s no small chunk of change, the county is saving millions by moving forward with this consolidation. Lansing officials haven’t shown nearly as much displeasure over paying the pension fees. If East Lansing and Lansing were united in their opinions, East Lansing might have a stronger case on why they shouldn’t have to pay.

The city needs to understand that the county is saving $6 million by making this transition, and in these economic times, that amount is huge. Handing over a little extra cash to the county for joining the two facilities isn’t too much to ask of East Lansing. The county has extended a helping hand by paying for the move to a new center. East Lansing should consider stepping up and returning the favor.

The city should consider the lighter burden they now have. They have been running the facility, which entails more than just monetary obligations. With the new change, the city won’t have to worry about managing the money for the center or keeping the center running. Their only involvement after the project is finished is handing out a check to retired workers. That’s it.

Eventually, East Lansing officials help the county provide better service to citizens in a more efficient manner by paying for a part of the pensions.

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