Lawrence County to pursue state-funded feasibility study on merging 9-1-1 centers with Mercer County

Lawrence County public safety director Chad Strobel told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 25 that the county will pursue a state-funded feasibility study to examine merging its 9-1-1 center with Mercer County's. Commissioners agreed informally to let staff pursue the study and indicated they would consider a formal resolution as soon as next week.

Strobel said rising operating costs and limited revenue growth are driving the county to evaluate consolidation. "The price of running a 9 11 center is ever rising ... we did receive an increase of the total surcharge ... from a dollar 65 to a dollar 95," Strobel said, adding the surcharge now pays "probably around now 80% or so of our annual operating budget." He said continuously raising the surcharge is not a sustainable solution.

The nut of the proposal is to hire a consultant to assess whether a merged, regional 9-1-1 center could achieve cost savings and better use existing technology. Strobel identified Mission Critical Partners as a likely vendor the counties would consider; he said the commonwealth has indicated it will fund the feasibility study if the counties submit an application. He also noted that Lawrence and Mercer already share computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems and phone systems and expect to share a radio system after Mercer's radio upgrade.

Strobel described technical interoperability: the counties already use the same CAD, and Mercer's forthcoming radio project would allow shared radio communications. He said calls can be routed so that if Lawrence's 9-1-1 goes offline, telecommunicators logged into Mercer's center could answer without interrupting service.

Commissioners pressed on governance, employee impacts and public input. Commissioner Kennedy asked whether the study and any later consolidation would cover only 9-1-1 operations or broader public-safety functions; Strobel replied the study would be specific to 9-1-1 and that emergency management agencies would remain at the county level, per commonwealth requirements. Strobel said the commonwealth currently has about 61 Title 1 9-1-1 centers and that state policy is trending toward regionalization, including incentives to encourage mergers.

Commissioners said they supported moving forward with the application and asked that the study include extensive outreach to first responders and municipal officials. "I do think we should probably formalize it," a commissioner said, and the board asked staff to return with a resolution next week so the action is on record.

Next steps the board described: staff will apply to the commonwealth for study funding, solicit professional services quotes (subject to solicitor guidance on procurement), and require the consultant to hold public presentations and forums for first responders and local officials if the study proceeds.

Why it matters: a regional 9-1-1 center could change how emergency calls are routed, affect local employment and pensions, alter county budgets and influence capital projects for dispatch facilities and radios. The commissioners emphasized no decisions on consolidation have been made; the study will evaluate technical, financial and governance options.

Ending: Strobel and commissioners said they will circulate examples of other county-level 9-1-1 mergers in the commonwealth to inform the study and will return with a formal resolution next week if the counties decide to proceed to the application stage.