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Emergency Communications budget rises 28% as city adds overtime funding and a 311 service center
Summary
Emergency Communications asked for a $4.3 million FY26 appropriation, a 28% increase attributed mainly to overtime needed for 12‑hour shift coverage, management pay adjustments, and funding for an additional 311 customer service center; officials also discussed 311 app duplication issues, warming/cooling centers and CERT volunteers.
WORCESTER, Mass. — Commissioner Charles Goodwin told the finance committee on Tuesday that the Emergency Communications (public safety communications and 311) FY26 recommended appropriation is about $4,300,000, a 28% increase over FY25 driven primarily by higher overtime funding tied to the department’s 12‑hour shift model and higher staffing costs.
Goodwin said the department increased overtime in recent years to maintain 12‑hour coverage for 911 call takers and to cover vacancies. He also described plans to open a second 311 customer service center in addition to the existing Main Street location, and estimated the main center’s operating cost at about $1,500 per month (plus internet) with roughly three staff at the customer center and four to five call takers on duty in the call center.
Councilors pressed department leaders about recurring 311 app complaints. Commissioner Goodwin said some cases are closed because duplicate entries are created in the legacy backend system; the city manager and IT staff described the 311 front‑end app as separate from a 20‑plus‑year unsupported customer service relationship management system on the back end, and said they plan to upgrade the backend to reduce missed work orders, and are testing fixes to reduce duplicate entries. The administration said it hopes to resolve some issues within weeks.
Goodwin said warming centers were activated “on two different occasions” during recent cold weather and that the city is expanding cooling centers and piloting misting tents for hot weather with grant funds. He said the city is also expanding the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteer program and will provide a response trailer from FEMA/MEMA grants to support field deployments.
Commissioners and councilors discussed overtime levels. Goodwin said FY24 total overtime spending for the department was roughly $1.3 million (about $672,000 on the tax levy and roughly $655,000 reimbursed by grants) and noted that the proposed FY26 increase attempts to “right‑size” the overtime line to reflect the department’s 12‑hour shifts and vacancy patterns. He and the manager said some overtime costs are reimbursed by state 911 grants and other sources and that reimbursements for March and April were still being processed.
Why it matters: Emergency Communications operates critical 911 and 311 services; higher overtime and a new customer service center will affect the FY26 budget and city service capacity. The department’s plan to upgrade the backend work‑order system aims to fix duplicate closures and improve transparency on case resolution.
What’s next: The finance committee advanced the Emergency Communications appropriation and requested follow‑up on 311 app fixes, performance metrics for warming/cooling center usage and staffing vacancy plans.
