Emergency Communications presents 2026 budget; highlights 9-1-1 universal call-taker training, QA and text-to-911 rollout

The Finance & Personnel Committee continued the Oct. 9 hearing with the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) following the Milwaukee Police Department presentation. DEC Director Tony Bueno and deputy and finance staff told the committee the 2026 proposed budget is largely flat at $27.2 million, funds roughly 230 authorized full-time positions and prioritizes investments in training, quality assurance, bilingual capability and technology upgrades including text-to-911.

"We've streamlined 9-1-1 operations by eliminating the need to transfer medical calls to a different dispatcher," Director Tony Bueno told the committee, describing the Universal Call Taker (UCT) initiative that trains new hires to handle multiple call types and reduces dispatch time for medical calls.

Why it matters: Communications centers are a key "force multiplier" for first responders and are critical to emergency medical and fire dispatch performance. Committee members asked detailed questions about abandoned-call rates, bilingual capacity and the timing of a text-to-911 rollout.

Key points from DEC's presentation Budget and staffing. Budget staff reported the 2026 proposed DEC budget at $27.2 million, a modest 0.3 percent increase over 2025. The department is funded for about 240 positions and reported being…