Text of Kennedec County Senator's Letter to OPEGA

April 29, 2009

Dear Sen. Simpson and Rep. Hill:

As Senators of the Kennebec County Delegation, we are requesting that OPEGA conduct a program evaluation of the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and the emergency dispatch services.

In the 122nd session, the Utilities Committee required the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to consolidate PSAP activities into 26 regional centers. The result has been successful in some parts of the state, but not as successful in others. Kennebec County is a prime example of problems with implementation. Last year, there was a bill to remove Waterville from the Kennebec County PSAP because the cost of the consolidated services was higher than Waterville’s cost for running their own PSAP. While the bill ultimately failed, it did reveal several inconsistencies in cost and structure across the state. At the end of last session, L.D. 2279 required the PUC to investigate and set the rates of the Kennebec County PSAP. The PUC accomplished this over the summer. However, there still remain many questions by the communities that are part of the Central Maine Communications Center (CMCC), the PSAP for Kennebec County, about cost, effectiveness and efficiency.

This past weekend, the Kennebec Journal reported that E-911 calls to the CMCC were apparently not sent to a dispatch center. The first call was for an inebriated person on the side of the road. They did not respond. One hour later, a second call came in; the person had been hit and killed. In addition, the Kennebec County Sheriff indicated there were other complaints about the poor quality of service from the CMMC PSAP in relation to dispatch and other services.

This past summer, there were several other issues in Cumberland and Penobscot County further demonstrating the seriousness and urgency of this issue, which is endangering public safety statewide. These lapses in public safety are simply unacceptable and demand an immediate evaluation.

There are 26 PSAPs in Maine set up by the Emergency Service Communications Bureau which is an agency within the Public Utilities Commission. The County or a municipal government operates twenty-two of them and the Department of Public Safety operates four.

We are seeking an in-depth program evaluation of the consolidated PSAP systems and dispatch services. The issues that should be addressed include:

• Cost structures for PSAP and dispatch • Coverage for rural communities, especially in Kennebec County • Connection between dispatch services and PSAPs • Efficiency and effectiveness of multiple, unconnected dispatch centers to the consolidated PSAPs • Original projected cost savings compared to actual savings • Dropped calls and missed dispatch connections, resulting in potential serious public safety issues • An assessment of the impact of consolidation on Kennebec County, and other counties where towns elected not to participate in the regional PSAP

The legislature has attempted to deal with this conflict in expectations, costs and reality with legislation, studies, committee hearings, and a rate investigation by the PUC. Because of the intergovernmental nature of this service involving state government, county government and local government, OPEGA is ideally suited to investigate this intergovernmental service. As an independent agency charged by the legislature with evaluation of cost and effectiveness of government services, OPEGA is probably the only program within state government that can resolve the multiple issues that cross committee jurisdictions of public safety, utilities and state and local government.

The bottom line is people’s lives are at stake. We cannot wait for additional errors to occur before taking action. Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to working with you as this process moves forward quickly.

Sincerely,

Senator Elizabeth Mitchell
Senator Lisa Marrache
Senator Earl McCormick