Public Safety and Security Committee
Planning and Development Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING MUTUAL CONSOLIDATION OF DISPATCH FACILITIES
SUMMARY: This act allows municipalities (towns, cities, boroughs, consolidated towns and cities, and consolidated towns and boroughs) that enter into interlocal agreements to consolidate dispatch services to establish a governing board. Under existing law, unchanged by the act, they may already establish advisory boards when they enter into interlocal agreements. These advisory boards recommend programs and policies for cooperative or uniform action in activities permitted or authorized for the participating public agencies and advise the agencies' public officials on the programs, policies, or activities (CGS § 7-339b).
As is the case with advisory boards, the act requires each municipality that is a party to the dispatch services agreement to be represented on the governing board. The municipality's legislative body must appoint, or prescribe how to appoint, the representatives and prescribe their qualifications, terms of office, and compensation, if any, subject to applicable provisions of the agreement. The agreement must outline the general powers and authority of the board, which has only those powers specifically provided to municipalities pertaining to dispatch services by law, charter, or special act.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2014
BACKGROUND
Interlocal Agreements
The law allows towns and service districts to perform a wide range of municipal services jointly through interlocal agreements (CGS §§ 7-339a - 339l). It restricts the agreements to a specific list of municipal functions and services and specifies the process for entering into these agreements.
Dispatch Services
These are emergency services (such as fire and police) dispatched in response to 9-1-1 calls. Public safety answering points (PSAPs) receive the calls and dispatch the services or transfer the calls to other public safety agencies. The Division of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications, within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, offers financial incentives to encourage municipalities to (1) form multi-jurisdiction PSAPs and (2) consolidate PSAP operations (Conn. Agencies Reg. § 28-24-1 et seq. ).
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