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911 surcharge, mobile comms vehicle and next-generation 911 among dispatch priorities
Summary
Emergency Communications Director Cara Easton described the 9-1-1 surcharge fund, a request for a mobile communications vehicle and continuing investments in next-generation 911 and fire-station alerting during the county's budget hearing.
The county's Emergency Communications Division presented its FY2025–26 plan and two capital priorities to the Board of County Commissioners: replacement of a 2004 mobile communications vehicle and ongoing investments to move toward next-generation 9-1-1.
Director Cara Easton said the dispatch center processed roughly 151,000 phone calls and more than 23,000 9-1-1 emergency calls last year and now supports the sheriff, two fire districts, the tribal police and Alpine County under fee agreements. She told commissioners that staffing had stabilized after active recruitment; the center will have 18 of 19 positions filled the week after the hearing. Easton outlined training and mental-health supports for dispatchers and said the center is updating policies and procedures to reflect new technology and user-agency needs.
On capital items, Easton asked the commission to consider $1.0 million from the surcharge fund balance to replace a 2004 mobile communication vehicle that serves as a deployable dispatch and incident-management platform during major incidents. "These things are very expensive to replace," Easton said, noting the vehicle is used for large events and as an alternate operations center when necessary. The commission was also presented with a request for ongoing funding for next-generation 9-1-1 (NG911) services; Easton said NG911 offers more accurate caller location and richer data transfer and estimated recurring costs in the tens of thousands annually.
Easton briefed the board on a separate capital program to implement digital fire-station alerting, which routes tones and dispatch information directly to stations. That project, for which surcharge committee support and fire-district coordination are required, now faces higher-than-expected vendor costs and may require additional funding, she said.
The 9-1-1 surcharge fund supports dispatch operations and approved projects under county ordinance; Easton said the county is exploring an increase in the per-line surcharge to $1.00 per subscriber and noted staff proposed an audit of surcharge collections to verify the county receives all eligible revenue from service providers.
