By Jim Sack

Council dealt with two interesting matters last night: the combination of 911 call centers and the future of government housing in Fort Wayne. Both showed considerable signs of progress, but with more than a few curves ahead.

The 911 call center merger was approved by council unanimously last night. Police Chief Rusty York and Fire Chief Pete Kelley were at the table in the witness chairs to provide details about the coming integration of county call takers and dispatchers with their city counterparts. There will be the obvious problems of learning and blending methods to arrive at a new approach. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Nothing new. For the near term a board of “chiefs” from the city and the county will run the affair with two jobs: getting the place operational and finding an executive director to relieve hem of those duties. It was noted that the city accounts for 70 of the runs and will pay 70 percent of the cost of integration, but will only have 50 of the voice on the oversight council. Chief York did not seem to mind, instead repeated that the body had one goal: to improve service to the public. Integration will go on for about a year (at least) with pay, benefits and workplace issues to be worked out over time; there will be a learning curve for both city and county employees as they learn the different methodologies, terminologies and systems employed by EMS, fire, police, the sheriff and county fire volunteers. Councilman Mitch Harper noted previous coordination problems, perhaps referring to the deadly fire in his district that killed three young women, to which the chief responded again that the goal was fast response and more “accurate” response. York reminded everyone of the lessons of 9/11, when coordination was so lacking and lives were lost, were finally being applied to local 911.

So last night was an evening of taking bows for the 911 merger. Mr. Pape effused credit on Mayor Tom Henry for getting a job done that Mr. Pape noted had been a public goal for at least the ten years he had been on council and well before. A round of applause was offered and politely rendered.

The other major matter on the agenda last night was a report by Tim Pape concerning the co-location task force, the group concerning itself with myriad questions resulting from the city purchase of the building at 200 East Berry. Council last night voted six to two to “speak as one voice” during the discussion this coming Friday. Karen Goldner pushed the question saying that council should go on record favoring a fuller integration of city and county offices. Tim Pape explained a proposal put forward by Paul Moss of the county council. He frequently called the Moss arrangement of offices a “scheme,” a word with pejorative connotations. He, Goldner and Liz Brown all argued that the first priority should be the convenience of the citizens, not problems government managers will confront should they find part of their minions in one building and part in another. General governmental reorganization, was the not so subtle hint.

One council member brought up the question of security and the hassles of fighting one’s way through metal detectors, leaving cell phones elsewhere, etc, us to visit the Board of Health or Economic Development. You could see council members pause in the light of something new to consider. Mr. Pape pushed on, however, noting that having all public safety in one building, on Main Street, would somewhat resolve that issue.

Mrs. Brown again reiterated that final decisions should focus primarily on the public’s convenience. Finally, one member, Mr. Harper, with the nodding agreement of Mr. Pape, note that the process was ongoing, that government is constantly shifting offices, moving departments, erecting new wall, physically and metaphorically. Mr. Pape observed that this would be the last or penultimate meeting before the four participating bodies, city legislative and executive, county executive and legislative, would be called on to decide the question. Mr. Pape made it clear that the city reserves the right to move all of its offices, including safety, to 200 East Berry should the county not meet the mayor’s minimal expectations. It should be added that in the packet passed around last night addressing the issue there were letters from the Chamber of Commerce and a tribe of local business leaders pressing the four bodies to integrate services and offices. Fundamentally, they are right. It is wasteful not to. Builders and contractors will tell you of the frustrations and delays they encounter moving between one office and another, between one often distant building and another, hoping for a bureaucrat to provide that stamp that will allow a project to go ahead, praying the bureaucrat is in, not on break or in Peoria for a week-long conference. The council members at the table are pros at government. They have learned which offices do what, the sometimes arbitrary hours of those departments, how to force a response. There are others, myself included, who have a relatively good grasp of government structure, but are still often frustrated with behavior or policy. Then there are the great unwashed masses who haven’t a clue, but need to get something done. Designing a system that is open and friendly and accommodating, rather than the frequent grouchy, indifferent response one receives at certain government “service” counters should be the goal. I think Mrs. Brown spoke clearly to that last night. Getting officials of government to think of you, rather than themselves, is paramount. One would think they would grasp that, but they don’t and Mrs. Brown should be applauded for her reminder.

And last night the confusion over relocation and co-location of government offices sorted itself out a bit. Mr. Shoaff was one who voted against the Goldner proposal, along with Councilman Harper. He said that council should wait to learn more facts, especially in light of a report to be offered Friday by two architects on costs that will be associated with two competing “schemes” to meld local government. What was evident last night is the process of integrating government has been brought to a head, although a bit clumsily, by Mayor Tom Henry. He should be given credit for forcing the issue. It is also an ancient dream of many in this area. But, the competing pressure is to “drill down,” the cliché of the hour, to get the more complete picture on cost and organizational challenges. It is both a prudent approach and a rear-guard action by turf protecting obstructionist, if I may. There will be hidden costs, there will be palms smacking foreheads, there will be egg on some faces as the blender does its work. Expect estimates and projections and plans to break down and to be restructured as the process proceeds. Essentially, that is what Harper and Pape reminded us. And tempers will flare, documents will be lost, coffee spilled and resignations will be tendered as set ways are challenged, responsibilities reassigned or fought over. Expect many officials, as we have seen so vividly so often, protect their turf as if it were the beaches at Anzio. “Fight on brave lads, give not a paper clip more!” So, let there be more time given to “drilling down,” but let the public pressure intensify on elected officials to redesign a government that has better customer, is more streamlined, is more open and supportive.

If you find this article informative? Consider donating any amount you choose.

Related posts:

1. Mr. Pape’s Night By Jim Sack The drowsy end of...
2. Warnings of Political Agendas and Posturing By Jim Sack Glynn Hines woke everyone...
3. My Kingdom for a Camera Blow for blow, topic for topic, insult...

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 9:16 am and is filed under City & County Government, Fort Wayne. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.