Commissioners approve interlocal with Coastal Bend Council of Governments for 911 services

The Jim Wells County commissioners voted Aug. 11 to approve an interlocal agreement with the Coastal Bend Council of Governments to plan, develop and operate 9-1-1 services and to govern the use of wireline and wireless 9-1-1 fees.

Mary Efuso, director of planning and economic development for the Coastal Bend Council of Governments, attended to answer questions on behalf of the region’s 9-1-1 director. Efuso said the COG maintains 9-1-1 infrastructure so dispatchers have the resources needed to respond to emergencies and that the interlocal allows the county to access regional administration and funding.

A resident raised a routing issue: calls placed from an address near the county line were being routed to a neighboring jurisdiction. Efuso and the court discussed county addressing, outreach and the COG’s plans to improve addressing accuracy and public education. Efuso said the COG is hiring an outreach coordinator to work with communities to verify addresses and improve dispatching, and that funding may be sought to improve signage and mile markers in rural areas.

The court approved the interlocal agreement by motion.

Why it matters: the interlocal formalizes operational responsibility for 9-1-1 infrastructure and creates a mechanism for the county to receive regional support, education and funding that can improve emergency response accuracy in rural areas.

What’s next: the county will execute the interlocal and work with the COG outreach coordinator and local addressing agents to reduce misrouted calls and improve location data for first responders.