Salem council to eye Beloit dispatch
By LARRY SHIELDSCity council will meet in special session at 4:30 p.m. Monday to discuss and possibly pass an ordinance to provide fire and EMS dispatching services for the village of Beloit.
Med-Corp., a Toledo-based dispatching service, recently stopped dispatching for a half dozen townships and villages in western Mahoning County.
Salem Mayor Jerry Wolford said village officials contacted Salem three or four days ago and a tentative five-year agreement was arranged that will charge the village $450 month to dispatch EMS and firefighters.
Wolford said the village was up against an Aug. 1 deadline to obtain dispatching services. That is the same day the Salem-Perry Township police dispatching agreement under the fire district contract concludes.
Perry Township firefighters are not dispatched by the city.
Wolford said he polled each member of council individually and they all backed the proposal which could become law if passed on Monday.
"They thought is was a good situation," Wolford said, "that we could help."
Wolford said he hasn't had a chance to discuss the issue with Salem dispatchers, but said he did speak with one.
He said that was part of the issue.
He said Beloit received between 300 and 400 calls a year and the village would pay to make the connection to the city.
He said the number of calls was "not a big bunch" and his administration feels it "probably could do it."
Wolford said Beloit had two other bids for dispatching.
Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net
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WatchDog
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07-19-08 11:37 AM
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I can't keep up with this city. One minute they are trying to kick our dispatchers to the curb side and now we are taking on additional liabilities for this city. All for the low price of $450 a month? Is this a misprint?
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