Vermont task force completes dense 1,000‑page inventory, readies system‑planning report and public review

The Public Safety Communications Task Force told the Senate Government Operations Committee on Wednesday that it is finalizing a more-than-1,000-page inventory of Vermont dispatch centers and will publish a separate system‑planning report for public comment next month.

Barbara Neal, executive director of the Enhanced 911 Board, told the committee the inventory and assessment — which includes hardware, software, staffing, coverage gaps and a cybersecurity appendix — is technically dense and will require redactions before broader distribution. "The inventory report is over a 1000 pages and it's extremely technical and extremely dense," Neal said. "There are parts of the inventory and assessment report that will have to be redacted because they are sensitive." Jennifer Morrison, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, also participated in the briefing.

The work stems from Act 78 (2023), which created the Public Safety Communications Task Force and charged it with planning a reliable, secure and interoperable statewide public‑safety communications system. Neal told senators the task force has met regularly since late June 2023 and has engaged consultants for project management and system planning.

Why it matters: The inventory will catalog the current dispatch landscape in Vermont — including 37 dispatch centers that provide service across the state — and inform choices about whether to recommend regionalization, consolidation or other options. Task force leaders said those recommendations will appear in a separate system‑planning report that will be released for public review starting about Feb. 20 for roughly one month, with a final vendor report expected by mid‑April.

Key details from the briefing

- Two vendor teams: Neal identified the project management team as TeleVate (spelled in the record as Televate/TeleVate) and the system‑planning consultant as Mission Critical Partners. Mission Critical is finishing fact checks on the inventory with each host agency and has done site visits to every one of the 37 dispatch centers. Neal said some sensitive material — for example, cybersecurity assessments — will not be released publicly.

- Redaction and confidential review: Because parts of the inventory are security‑sensitive, task force leaders said they expect to use a confidential review process (including executive session procedures and restricted unredacted copies) to brief select stakeholders and decision‑makers before any broad public release.

- Public outreach: The task force has held responder town halls and public listening sessions. Neal said consultants and task force members engaged with more than 150 emergency responders during responder town halls, and in-person public sessions averaged about 20 attendees each. A Front Porch Forum advertising run generated substantial impressions, though in-person engagement was smaller.

- Spending to date: The task force reported vendor and outreach payments totaling roughly $463,700 so far, including $324,000 to Mission Critical Partners, $127,520 to TeleVate, $6,390 to Front Porch Forum for outreach, $1,239 for sign language interpreters, and about $4,500 in per diems for eligible task force members.

- Funding and timing constraints: Neal noted that Act 78 included an $11,000,000 appropriation intended for pilot projects but that the statute’s language tied use of those funds to fiscal/calendar year 2024. She told the committee that if pilots begin later (summer or fall 2025), the task force would likely need a legislative change to access that appropriation.

Discussion topics and concerns

Committee members and task force leaders discussed tradeoffs between local control and statewide efficiency, financing options (general fund, universal service fund or targeted fees), and geography‑driven technical challenges in a state with mountains and valleys. Task force members repeatedly emphasized that the group is approaching design choices agnostically and will weigh local needs, topography and technology (including geolocation) in any recommendation.

Senators raised practical concerns that would matter to residents if dispatching were regionalized — for example, whether community programs run by local dispatch centers (Neal cited a daily check‑in program for seniors) would continue under a new model — and asked about possible service and workforce impacts in places such as Rutland and Chittenden counties.

No formal decisions or votes were taken at the hearing. Task force leaders said they expect to return to the committee with specific legislative requests this session if the group requires statutory changes to access funds or to establish a pilot program timeline.

What’s next: Mission Critical’s system‑planning report will enter a public review period around Feb. 20; the vendor will accept written feedback and hold additional listening sessions. A finalized report is expected by mid‑April, after which task force leaders said they will analyze options and may bring policy or budget requests to the Legislature. Neal told the committee the inventory will be used to inform those choices but that some inventory details must remain restricted to avoid security risks.