As the expiration of an inter-town agreement between Milford, Wilton and Mont Vernon about how to run their shared dispatch system approaches, the towns are reviving negotiations over the much-debated contract.
Wilton Town Administrator Paul Branscombe said the contract has been a “bone of contention” in the past.
For several years now, the three towns, which collectively own the Milford Area Communications Center, have been battling over the agreement. In March, Milford put forth a warrant article seeking funds to build its own communications system at the Milford Police Station, effectively striking out on their own, but voters didn’t put their backing behind the plan.
The towns have been at odds since at least 2018, when negotiations for a new contract put Wilton and Mont Vernon at the opposite side of the table from Milford. Wilton and Mont Vernon agreed upon a new version of the contract, which included a long-term commitment to continue sharing the dispatch system, and also reduced Milford’s voting power by one vote, among other changes.
Currently, on all matters, Wilton and Mont Vernon each have a single vote on the MACC Base Board of Directors, while Milford has two, resulting in Milford being able to stalemate votes its not in favor of.
Milford, which pays about 70 percent of the cost of the center – based on population and call volume – has also suggested that Milford should receive a controlling vote on non-financial matters, based on its majority contribution.
Milford refused to sign the contract, and ultimately, the towns extended their existing agreement, drafted in 2013.
The boards encountered the same sticking points earlier this year, while attempting to draft a new agreement. In July, the Milford board proposed extending the current agreement for a further three years, but the Wilton and Mont Vernon boards balked at that, wanting to revise language about how capital improvements to the system – which have been recommended for years – are paid for.
Mont Vernon and Wilton met in nonpublic session on Monday to discuss contract negotiations.
Mont Vernon Select Board Chair Jack Esposito said in an interview Wednesday that both Wilton and Mont Vernon are committed to continuing the partnership.
“Both Wilton and Mont Vernon do not want to leave or break up MACC Base. It’s the most advantageous situation for everyone involved,” Esposito said.
“You can’t let dispatch go down,” Branscombe agreed.
But, Esposito said, Mont Vernon is interested in exploring options for making improvements to MACC Base, and said the current contract, which requires capital expenditures to be paid for in a single calendar year, is prohibitive to making big capital investments.
In past negotiations, Wilton has pointed to Milford’s reluctance to change the options for paying for large capital investments as a sign the board doesn’t intend to continue the partnership long-term, and still plans to build their own stand-alone communications system.
Esposito said Wilton and Mont Vernon are ready to approach the Milford Select Board with a proposal agreement, in order to hopefully reach an agreement before the end of 2020, when the current agreement expires, but a meeting for those negotiations has not yet been set.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertran script.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.