Emergency dispatch consolidation effort puts rubber to the road

Officials from the county’s law enforcement entities listened to a report for the potential consolidated 911 dispatch center.

The study, conducted by SCG Consulting Services, detailed the pros and cons for consolidation. It touched on everything from financial benefits and concerns to governance and location. The conclusion of the report was a recommendation for Nodaway County and Maryville to move to a consolidated dispatch center with the future public safety facility as its home. It also expressed the possibility of a conversion into a regional dispatch center in the future.

With the firm’s recommendation and approval from the various agencies involved, Nodaway County Sheriff Randy Strong said all signs point toward the consolidation project becoming a reality. This is not the first time these agencies have attempted to consolidate, but Strong said the personalities in place will allow this effort to succeed this time around.

“I think that the political personalities are in place that weren’t there prior to us taking office here,” Strong said. “(The organizations) didn’t always play well together and I think we’ve bridged that gap. I think it is time to move forward. I don’t think any one of us are power-hungry enough to say, ‘I want to run that radio system.’ I think we’ve moved beyond that. We all recognize the need to move forward and make this happen.”

While there is great desire for consolidation, that will not necessarily increase the speed at which this project sees completion. Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel said consolidation is likely still a few years away.

“I think overall it is about a three-year window to get it fully functional, if everything goes as planned,” McDanel said. “A lot of that has to do with getting our public safety facility under construction. The city has already designed and committed to building the space for this with the intention that everyone is strongly looking at our facility as an option and the draft study suggested it be the location.”

Both county and city representatives agree the first step to the process is acquiring the technology for the new dispatch center.

“The first physical step, to me, would be figuring out a way that we can acquire the necessary equipment,” McDanel said. “There was about a $700,000 base cost for equipment that could be shared between the city and Nodaway County.”

This equipment can be purchased now, housed separately as needed and combined whenever the new public safety facility is constructed. Nodaway County Sheriff’s Captain Scott Wedlock said discussions about equipment have already begun between the agencies.

“We’ve broken down our technology needs into communication and radio needs,” Wedlock said. “We’ve also formed a little working group. So we are going to push forward on that and see how we can better utilize some of the things found.”

Strong said these conversations are even more important because of the outdated technology the agencies are currently using. The technology at both has exceeded its shelf life and needs to be replaced. The need for updated technology is adding to the desire for consolidation.

Alongside acquiring fresh technology, another major first-step for the process will be creating a joint advisory committee to oversee planning for consolidation. This committee will then lead to another board that will serve as the governing body over the operations of the dispatch center. McDanel and Strong both expressed a need for this committee to be formed quickly.

The report showed there may not be much of a cost reduction when it comes to consolidation, but would instead yield more efficient, quick service.

“I think it will help calls get answered quickly,” Strong said. “Right now, if the city gets an ambulance call, their dispatch center redirects the call to us because our people are under contract to take those calls and trained to do so as well. So there is a delay; they shouldn’t have to jump through those hoops to get an ambulance.”

The next meeting regarding the 911 consolidation effort will be September 6.