Blackstone pulls out of talks to share dispatch with Millville
BLACKSTONE – The towns of Blackstone and Millville will not be negotiating an inter-municipal agreement to regionalize public safety dispatch services after the Millville selectmen voted last week to enter into a new five-year regional dispatch agreement with the Town of Mendon.
The Millville selectmen voted last month to approach Blackstone to see if public safety and town officials in both towns could explore developing a regional dispatch communications agreement. The current regional agreement Millville has with Mendon expired in November and Millville officials wanted to explore regionalizing with Blackstone because Mendon’s radio system is unable to transmit a clear signal to Millville, despite a technology upgrade by Mendon last year that were supposed to solve the problem. Blackstone’s radio system is more compatible with Millville and therefore, Millville reached out to that community.
But at the Blackstone selectmen’s meeting Tuesday, Town Administrator Daniel Keyes told that board that Millville is pulling out of potential negotiations with Blackstone and staying with Mendon.
In a letter to Blackstone town officials, Millville Town Administrator Jennifer Callahan said the state Emergency 911 Department encouraged Millville to remain in its current regional agreement with Mendon.
According to Callahan, the executive director of the emergency 911 Department had a number of meetings with Millville officials to work through public safety communications concerns, which had
not been adequately addressed during the previous agreement with Mendon.
“New commitments and terms have been the subject of substantial negotiations between Millville and Mendon, their respective legal counsels and the Emergency 911 Department,” Callahan said in her letter. “On Monday, Nov. 20, a final proposal was reviewed by the Millville selectmen and the board voted unanimously to enter into a new regional dispatch agreement with the town of Mendon.”
Callahan said that decision was made because the state Emergency 911 Department, which oversees and maintains the statewide 911 system for emergency services, was able to address Millville’s previous concerns about radio signals and other issues.
“Had the state Emergency 911 Department not taken a pronounced and active role in assisting with recent negotiations between Millville and Mendon, I believe we would not have been able to arrive at an agreement that would have adequately addressed the concerns and needs of the Town of Millville,” Callahan wrote.
Callahan said even though the Millville has decided not to pursue an agreement with Blackstone, “the Millville Board of Selectmen remains committed to exploring other ways in which the tow towns can partner and work cooperatively to address common services and program needs.”
The Blackstone selectmen were cautiously willing to explore the idea of regionalizing public safety dispatch services with Millville, but only as long as it benefited Blackstone. The two towns tried to negotiate a similar agreement years ago but were unable to reach an accord. As a result, Millville ended up entering into a regional dispatch agreement with Mendon.
Blackstone Police Chief Ross Atstupenas said had the two towns decided to negotiate, a number of weighty issues would have needed to have been addressed , including health care costs, salaries, retirements, and replacing equipment, to name a few.