Should Huntersville ultimately defect from its decade-long partnership with Cornelius on locally operated dispatch services — and take with it more than half the money used to pay for it to buy those services from CMPD — some in Cornelius have suggested perhaps their town should do the same thing.
Among concerns expressed to town commissioners by Cornelius Police Chief Bence Hoyle should the town take this route is the level of service Cornelians might expect to receive from a dispatch service that not only is located 20 miles away, but likely knows little of the subtle nuances of the town.
Last Friday night, CMPD dispatched one of its own officers to the wrong address within its own city. Instead of going to the Flying Biscuit restaurant, the officer went to a residential address some four miles away, looking for the Plum Biscuit, which doesn't exist. The robbery and murder of the manager wasn't discovered at the correct location until the next morning.
Talkers wonder if Charlotte dispatchers can't obtain correct information from a caller and direct one of its own to a popular restaurant in a popular south Charlotte shopping center, how are they to send a Cornelius officer to an obscure address around here?
Talkers hear that talks are back on between the two towns for a new arrangement to keep emergency dispatch services for both towns local. They think that's a pretty good idea.
Against everything
In light of Tuesday's "not only do we not know, but we don't care, so there" unanimous vote opposing the Red Line Regional Rail Project by Iredell County commissioners, Talkers couldn't help but ponder if planners, consultants and deep-thinkers involved in this potentially monumental undertaking would really, truly want those type of stone-age decision makers involved in this project anyway.
At the urging of their chairman, who to his credit was quoted admitting "you can't fix stupid," Iredell commissioners decided they didn't need to know details and specifics about a long-range, 25-mile, $452-million, multi-jurisdictional, privately-funded, commuter/freight rail project favored at the state level and expected to generate up to $1 billion in public revenue over the next three decades before they decided folks in their county weren't interested.
The decision was made just a few weeks into a planned three-month exploration of every aspect of the project. It was made after the board failed to attend a four-hour presentation of the draft proposal in December. It was made, essentially, on the basis of instinct and a five-year-old rail plan that no longer exists, rather than current information.
Talkers note it's not the first time Iredell commissioners have kept their heads in the sand when confronted with a potential change in the status quo. In fact, from day one, those hoping to explain the Red Line project to every agency involved knew Iredell's nuts would be the hardest to crack.
The Iredell board's usual response to any suggestion of progress, rail-related or otherwise, is "no," unless the idea is really progressive. Then it's "hell no." Schools have suffered, some of the county's towns are, at best, stagnant, and except for the occasions when Mooresville reaches out to grab opportunities, not much happens at all.
And still, Talkers can't help but hope that watching a verdict reached before testimony was given has to rattle even those who have grown accustomed to low expectations for Iredell's commissioners.
