Trumbull County officials say 9-1-1 center, coroner and animal shelter need urgent relocation or repairs amid health and safety concerns

Trumbull County officials told the Board of Commissioners on July 23 that the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch center, the coroner’s work area and the county animal shelter face conditions the director and others described as unsafe or unsustainable.

Casey McDowell, director of Trumbull County 9-1-1, told commissioners the dispatch facility has experienced repeated sewer smells, ceiling leaks over dispatch consoles and an inoperable elevator that has blocked delivery and removal of heavy equipment. “When I ran water down those, we started getting severe leaks in the ceiling right over one of our dispatch positions on the dispatcher while she was working on the brand new equipment,” McDowell said. He added that staff have reported respiratory irritation and that firefighters had been called with gas meters to investigate odors.

The board said it will move the 9-1-1 operation off the current site. “9-1-1 will not be in that building. It’s gonna be a move,” Commissioner Richard Hernandez, president of the Trumbull County Board of Commissioners, said during the meeting.

Why it matters: commissioners called the situation urgent because poor conditions affect emergency operations and public safety. The county is weighing short-term and longer-term options — including renovating an alternate county-owned building, colocating some services at the fairgrounds, or pursuing a regional arrangement with neighboring Mahoning County — while trying to limit immediate risk to staff and operations.

What commissioners said and next steps - The board said it is awaiting a written agreement from the county Board of Health before committing to an engineering study or finalizing a lease/relocation plan. McDowell said engineering work on a new network and hosted 9-1-1 solution is already under way, but the county placed a hold on an engineering study until the Board of Health produces a written agreement.

- Commissioners and 9-1-1 leadership asked KO, the county’s consultant, to search for grant funding to help with relocation or retooling costs. The board also said it would explore whether ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds can be reallocated; one commissioner stated the county is “waiting on a letter from the Treasury Department to tell us that we can reallocate the ARP money.”

- Possible near-term moves discussed included remodeling an existing county building (estimated at roughly $300,000 per presentations during the meeting) to house EMA/dispatch equipment and using other county space for reception or family conference rooms for the coroner. Commissioners noted that full renovation of the previously studied Chestnut building had an estimated cost in the architects’ study that exceeded $2 million and was therefore not feasible for the immediate need.

- McDowell also described extensive vendor and circuit issues that have disrupted service to parts of the county and said the county is working toward a hosted network solution that could replace aging hardware and reduce annual technology renewal costs.

Public-safety context Commissioners repeatedly characterized the matter as pressing. Multiple board members urged quick action to secure a safe workplace for the medical examiner, dispatchers and emergency-management staff and to relieve the overcrowded county animal shelter. One commissioner said the coroner’s working conditions had been described to them as “equivalent to putting a chicken and fish in a trash can, leaving it outside for 10 days,” a description offered to emphasis the severity of odors being reported by staff.

Unresolved items No final lease or relocation contract was signed at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to obtain the Board of Health’s written proposal and to seek legal and grant-development guidance; one commissioner suggested the county might need to borrow funds if ARPA reallocation is not permitted or delayed.

Ending Commissioners instructed staff to bring back a clarified proposal after the Board of Health submits its written terms and after the county receives the Treasury Department guidance on ARPA reallocation; they also encouraged meeting with the coroner and 9-1-1 leadership to scope immediate mitigation measures.