Lisbon's Road to Bankruptcy - Part 6

 

                                    COSTLY CONTROL!

According to Lisbon Councilors, the main reason they didn't want to upgrade Lisbon's dispatch to the County PSAP was their need to "keep control".  This "controlling attitude" will cost taxpayers over $230,000 thousand dollars (this tax year) in increased dispatch costs.  This added cost equates to about 50 cents per thousand on our mil rate or about a $75 dollar tax increase on the average $150,000 dollar home.

Why is "Keeping Control" -- more important to Councilors Craft, Burnell, Ward and Albert than residents safety?  What do THEY gain by keeping this costly control?  

The cost of this "CONTROL":

• Increased taxes  (if we keep local dispatch)
• Reduced safety  --- Response times delayed
• Loss of Conformity  ---- The rest of Maine towns use a PSAP
• Critical Information Loss  --- Lisbon dispatch can't access some of the felony records needed when dealing with criminals.
• Delayed EMT Codes  ---  Lisbon dispatch is not trained to give critical EMT codes to first responders.

The above (4) Councilors may feel they gain something by keeping "local control" but their gain is Lisbon's Loss.

The decision to keep local dispatch is ILLOGICAL and COSTLY for Lisbon taxpayers.  

Its time we put an end to this INSANITY.

Respectfully

Joe Hill