Cayuga County 911 officials outline equipment, training and mandate costs as grants awarded

Denise, a county emergency communications staff member, told the Cayuga County Legislature the 911 center’s aging radio and communications infrastructure, new state-required personnel tests and ongoing training needs are the largest factors driving the department’s 2026 budget request. "The communication system is probably our biggest investment ... we're looking at a system that's now almost 14 years old," she said.

The update said the center received an NG911 grant award of $1,500,000 and is applying for an ESInet grant of about $650,000; both grants are for specific projects and cannot be used as flexible operating revenue. Denise said the center also expects additional dedicated revenue from state programs (amounts not specified in the meeting record) and uses grants to offset maintenance costs for the communications system.

Why it matters: county officials said equipment failures, staff turnover and new state mandates will increase ongoing costs. County staff identified three categories as the biggest near-term budget pressures: capital and maintenance for the communications system and ancillary infrastructure (antennas, shelters, generators, UPS systems), mandated pre-employment and periodic medical/psychological tests for dispatch hires, and training and retention expenses.

Details: Denise described a mix of one-time and recurring costs the department is building into the '26 request. She said some ancillary components are reaching useful lives of roughly 10–20 years, and multiple components of the same vintage are now failing. She cited UPS battery replacement as an example, saying batteries in one UPS are over five years old and the replacement batteries would cost about $12,000. She also noted the center’s chairs are worn and replacement is proposed; Denise said, "it's 20,000 may not sound like a lot, but to me, it was kind of a big hit for our budget." She described those chairs as heavy–duty ergonomic units designed for 24/7 use.

Staffing and training: Denise said the center has recently hired three people and currently has three vacancies: two entry-level dispatchers and one supervisor. She gave a timeline for training: new trainees receive roughly 3–4 weeks of classroom instruction, practical floor training in the backup center, a separate two-week basic dispatch course in Ontario County, and a multi-month discipline-specific training track; she estimated it typically takes about a year for a trainee to be capable in a single dispatch discipline and up to 18 months to be cross-trained on all three disciplines. She said some certifications add direct costs (basic dispatch training about $300, emergency medical dispatch about $400 per person) and that new state psychological and hearing-screening requirements will increase per-hire expenses.

Grants and backup center: Denise said grant awards are earmarked for defined projects and the department will not assume grant revenues will cover operating costs unless those revenues and corresponding project expenses are placed in the budget together. She confirmed the county previously approved about $1,200,000 for relocation and data-center work tied to a backup center project; some purchased backup workstations and laptops have not yet been fully outfitted and will not be commissioned until additional equipment (a proxy server and other items) arrives.

Outlook: staff said they will monitor grant awards and update the legislature as funding arrives. Several legislators asked about contingency funding for unexpected repairs; Denise said the center generally shifts existing budget lines, moves money internally and reprioritizes nonessential items when unplanned equipment failures occur.