Johnson County staff recommend dissolving ECC advisory board, commissioners ask for continued front‑line input

Johnson County Emergency Services Director Paul Davis asked the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 14 to adopt Resolution No. 077‑25 to dissolve the Johnson County Emergency Communications Center User Advisory Board, created in 1985, saying the board’s functions are now redundant. Davis told the commission the advisory board’s stakeholder input is being handled through direct meetings, operational work groups and leadership teams and that the county will maintain collaboration with MedAct and county fire departments through regular meetings and after‑action reviews. The request matters because the advisory board has been a formal channel for fire chiefs and ECC administrators to give policy and operational guidance. The county says dissolving the board will reduce duplicative meetings and allow staff to make faster, more agile decisions while continuing regular stakeholder engagement. In discussion, Chair Mike Kelly and multiple commissioners said they support efficiencies but pressed for preserved communication channels. Kelly said he wants the county to “maintain and if appropriate enhance those opportunities for communication throughout the entire continuum of emergency services,” including front‑line responders. Commissioner Ashcraft asked whether any stakeholders objected; Davis said members of the Chiefs Association and the current ECC advisory board “voted unanimously to send this resolution forward.” Commissioner Hansnick and others discussed that the dissolution had been considered previously but was lower priority until recent consolidation and efficiency efforts. Davis described existing committees and groups that provide operational feedback, including operations chiefs, a dispatch review committee and other steering committees that include line staff. He said ECC staff will continue to attend Johnson County Fire and Emergency Services Chiefs Association meetings and lead operational workgroups. No formal vote or action was recorded at the agenda review; the resolution was presented for the board’s agenda the week of Aug. 21 for formal consideration. The record shows commissioners pressing staff to ensure that dissolution does not eliminate front‑line input and asking staff to provide details on how line personnel will continue to be engaged should the resolution move forward.