“We need to talk to our sheriff about what was presented. Because it just doesn’t add up right now for us, at least.” Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis says that while he supports the plan to combine Portsmouth, New Boston, and Scioto County 911 Dispatch into a central call center, he has a lot of questions about the plan presented to him by Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman.
Portsmouth Police Chief Debby Brewer, New Boston Police Chief Carl Compton, Portsmouth Fire Chief Robert Long, and New Boston Mayor Junior Williams surprised the commissioners by showing up at the last commissioners’ meeting to ask commissioners when plans to centralize the 911 operations might be moving forward.
Davis said that while he’s been a proponent for centralization for many years, he had concerns about the plan. “According to the spreadsheet I looked at, it shows us losing money. That can’t be the proposition. That just can’t work. We need to figure out a way that everybody doesn’t lose. We need to make sure it’s a gain for everybody. We have not done that yet. We need to sit down with Sheriff Thoroughman and go over the spreadsheet. We have several questions.”
Additionally, Davis said that some things in the proposal were a complete surprise to the commissioners. “We were not informed initially that a build-out or purchase of a building was being considered. That was something new that was just dropped on us in the last couple of months. That’s even more expensive that we weren’t told was going to be part of this. We just need to work on that to figure out how we can make it work.”
Scottie Powell said there was still some work to do before they could begin the process. “We have to create a board.” There hasn’t been a 911 Committee formed since the early 90s when the whole county converted to the 911 system.
“I’ve been asking about that for a couple of weeks,” Davis said. “Our prosecutor has to give the instructions, but per the Ohio Revised Code, we have to put together a 911 committee. There has to be people appointed to that board. That needs to happen relatively soon.”
First, Davis said that commissioners must sit down with Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman. “We need to talk to our sheriff about what was presented. Because it just doesn’t add up right now for us, at least.”
Powell suggested that PPD, NBPD, and the Sheriff’s Office be involved in breaking down the numbers.
Davis said that while the plan saves money overall, it doesn’t specifically save the county money. “It needs to be a savings and an increase in efficiency. There’s a net savings but not a savings for the county. I understand that it’s a win for New Boston and a win for Portsmouth, but it needs to be a win for Scioto County. We’ll figure that out.”
Commissioner Davis said the forming a committee is the key to solving the issues. “That’s why the committee is formed,” Davis said. “To address the budget issues and make sure everybody is in agreement moving forward. I’d like to move forward and get something figured out. It’s the right thing to do.”
