BANGOR — Bangor police dispatcher Sue Harvey appeared skeptical Tuesday night when she was told that the proposed regional dispatch center for all of Penobscot County would need only two dispatchers and a supervisor during “off peak” hours.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing that,” said Harvey who claimed that such reduced staffing could put someone’s life or property at risk.

Harvey was responding to figures rattled off by Penobscot County Commissioner Peter Baldacci, who informed the city’s municipal operations committee Tuesday night about the proposal to place the majority of emergency dispatching services in the county under one roof.

Even if the council should choose to join the regional center, the city will not be on board by the expected start-up date of July 1, City Manager Edward Barrett said.

“Should the City Council approve it, we would then begin negotiations with the dispatchers’ unions, both at the Fire Department and the Police Department,” he said. “That could take several months.”

The municipal operations committee did not take any action Tuesday night, but sent Barrett back for more information.

The plan unveiled last October by the Penobscot County commissioners would consolidate the county’s eight dispatching units under one regional center located in the former Probation and Parole offices on Franklin Street in Bangor.

Towns with organized police departments, along with the county, would foot the bill for the approximately $750,000 center, Baldacci said.

Bangor’s share would be about $160,900 or $4.85 per person, Barrett told committee members.

The city now spends $408,000 a year for police and fire dispatch, a cost that covers some job functions that would not be transferred to the regional center, such as answering business calls and aiding officers in routine investigative computer searches.

Barrett said to ensure that those business-type functions continued to get done, he would propose to keep two clerical-type positions at both the Police Department and Fire Department.

The salaries of those four employees, plus some first year capital expenditures that would be associated with transfer to regional dispatch, would cut the city’s savings from about $307,000 to $50,000 the first year, he said.

In following years, Barrett estimates the city would save about $100,000 annually.

There are currently about 49 local and county dispatchers employed within Penobscot County. The regional dispatch plan calls for a total of 22 positions.

Baldacci said a study, approved by the county, indicated that the dispatch center could operate sufficiently with five dispatchers and a supervisor working during peak hours and two dispatchers and a supervisor working during “off peak” times.

Baldacci said he wasn’t sure what hours were considered “off peak.”

“I can tell you one thing,” said one dispatcher. “Often, times we think will be slow are not.”

The dispatchers said when emergencies occurred at the police and fire stations, firefighters and police officers were available to help out in dispatch.