Businessman Calls Tri-Com Plan a 'Government Takeover'

A Fox Valley businessman sounded a blaring alarm Monday night, saying that Tri-Com Central Dispatch is essentially trying to muscle his company out of a segment of the alarm-detection business so that Tri-Com can get in it.

Ed Bonifas, a Geneva resident and owner of Alarm Detection Systems, was one of three residents and ADS employees who asked the City Council to block Tri-Com's efforts to explore the creation of a wireless alarm-service network for Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles.

"Their promise is to 'cut out the middle man.' I guess I and my employees would be the midde man," Bonifas told the City Council.

Alarm Detection Services, based in Aurora, has been in business 40 years and employs 225 people from Geneva, St. Charles and communities throughout the Fox Valley, Bonifas said.

ADS has partnered with Tri-Com for 30 years. When a customer's alarm goes off, Tri-Com is notified through ADS's central station, Bonifas said. Tri-Com then dispatches the appropriate police or fire unit to respond to the alarm.

At 9 a.m. today, Tri-Com began accepting sealed proposals to provide a wireless alarm system monitoring network. Officials say the wireless network has the potential to cut down on response times and offer businesses a lower-cost alternative for direct-connect alarm service.

Tri-Com has been in discussions with eight businesses that provide the equipment, although the Request For Proposals (RFP) is open to any company. Stacy Guercio, director of Tri-Com Central Dispatch, said Tuesday morning that purchasing the system "could prove to be less costly" for Tri-Com as well as for potential customers.

Bonifas and others are concerned that government is sticking its nose into services that are better handled by private-sector businesses.

They are also worried that the decision to move forward already has been made. Representatives of the "Sound the Alarm First Coalition" spoke Monday night before public bodies in Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles.

"The three city councils appear to be in lockstep, patently refusing to meet with representatives of ADS. This RFP is a broad departure from policies in place today and warrants public discussion," Bonifas said.

John Schreiber, who identified himself simply as a resident of Geneva, told the City Council he doesn't understand why "the city supports this new business venture with no financial data."

"As they say, 'knowledge is power,' " Schreiber said. "We need the facts. We need the figures. We need to know how this is going to work. We need you to slow down and verify your facts."

Chris Beykirch, a former Aurora alderman and business development manager for ADS, also was concerned about the process moving too quickly.

"Clearly, we believe that the city councils don't have the full information. When they went ahead and waived the formal bidding process, this is exactly what they were getting into. So, we'd just like the time to speak to elected officials in the Tri-Cities. Unfortunately, that opportunity hasn't been afforded to us," he said.

Geneva Fire Chief Steve Olson emphasized Monday night that "no decisions will be made tomorrow." He said the Tri-Com Board would be examining the proposals and the discussion has been going on in public forums since February.

Bonifas and the Sound the Alarm First Coalition is painting the Tri-Com proposal as a classic case of government "orchestrating a takeover." He said Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Doug Whitley sent a message to the council through him.

"I would like to express my severe concern regarding this process," Whitley said. "Government should not be competing with private business."

"Cheaper costs cannot possibly be accurate," Bonifas said after the meeting. "No alarm company would ever try to get in and buy all the equipment for 500 accounts. It just isn't cost-effective to do that. We pay about half of what the municipality would pay for it."

Guercio said Tri-Com's process has been and will continue to be open, deliberative and in the best interest of taxpayers and the general public. She said one of the primary concerns of the private sector is that Tri-Com might mandate businesses to use their service.

"There are other cities that have done that. But there is no interest in that at this time in the Tri-Cities," she said. "What that means in English is that subscribers have the option to be monitored by any service of their choice."

She said a Tri-Com subcommittee will evaluate the bids submitted today, examine the costs, and the Tri-Com Board will vote in 30 to 60 days on whether to move forward. The board will then go to the councils in Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles for municipal approval.

"I believe in direct connect, and I think and ADS believes in direct connect," Guercio said. "I think it's a great benefit for any business owner to connect directly to a 911 system that's going to direct the call."

The alarm being sounded by the coalition carries some politically-charged rhetoric and urges residents to get involved. The first paragraph of a statement in its first outreach packet reads as follows:

"The next government takeover of private business is here, and you'll be surprised that it's not coming from Washington or Springfield—it's emanating from our local town halls. Speak up now before a quasi-government entity deprives the citizens, taxpayers and businesses of our community from learning about an issue that impacts us all."