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Commissioners authorize study on shared 9‑1‑1 operations with Schuylkill County
Summary
The Northumberland County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding to study shared public-safety answering point operations with Schuylkill County, saying the effort is a months‑long study to look for potential efficiencies amid rising 9‑1‑1 costs.
The Northumberland County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize a memorandum of understanding with Schuylkill County to study options for shared operation and management of a public-safety answering point (PSAP).
The vote authorizes county staff to participate in a study with Schuylkill County to explore whether shared or cooperative 9‑1‑1 operations could improve emergency response and reduce local costs. The motion passed unanimously.
The study, the chairman said during the meeting, is intended to be exploratory. “This is an agreement to do a study to see if there's any ways for us to do things to help help support financially the 9 1 1 system,” the chairman said. He emphasized that the agreement authorizes only a study and not any immediate operational changes.
Why it matters: commissioners said 9‑1‑1 operations are a significant and growing county expense. The chairman described recent budgets that included between roughly $500,000 and $1,000,000 in county support for the 9‑1‑1 center and said the study will look at where savings or efficiencies might be possible.
During discussion the chairman reviewed the county’s recent history with similar studies: earlier cooperative efforts with neighboring counties did not move forward, and a new study with Columbia and Montour counties is ongoing. The chairman said the Schuylkill County MOU will take months to complete and any operational decisions would follow further review and additional meetings. “This study will take months and then they'll come back,” he said.
Commissioners and staff said the study will include meetings with departments and stakeholders and noted the process can take months or longer; no service changes, staff relocations, or consolidations were announced as part of the vote. The chairman repeated that the county’s current PSAP will continue operating “in the same building doing the same stuff that we always been doing, and it won't change until we announce it.”
The motion passed by unanimous voice vote. The commissioners said they expect public meetings and additional information to be scheduled as the study progresses.
Ending
The MOU creates an analytical and planning process; any proposal to change 9‑1‑1 operations would require later review and formal action by the commissioners and likely additional public meetings.
