Dueling dispatching is no regional model

Northern Kentucky gets a lot of credit for regional cooperation, which often gets cited as a major reason for the region's economic development. That makes the dueling dispatch centers in Kenton County all the more puzzling.

It just seems like a silly waste of the taxpayers' money and a bad example that both Kenton County and the City or Erlanger are on parallel tracks in providing emergency dispatch services to the quilt of agencies throughout the county. Neighboring Edgewood is the first to sign up with Erlanger, and it appears Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright, Lakeside Park, Ludlow and Park Hills will follow.

Officials say no offense is intended to Kenton County, but Erlanger simply is geared to do it better, particularly in terms of modern technology for dispatching, records management and communication. If that's the case, that's an embarrassment for Kenton County. And if there are motivations related to power and turf, that's even more embarrassing.

There's one issue everyone should embrace: Land-line phone users are paying a tax to support emergency dispatching and cell phone users are paying nothing. Land-line rates in Edgewood, for example, will go to $2.76 per month in October and rocket to $4.25 in May when six more cities join the Erlanger system. State law needs to be changed so cell-phone users pay a fair share.