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Committee approves contract to provide full-time dispatch services to Bruce Township; adds one FTE
Summary
Macomb County’s ComTech will provide full-time emergency dispatch services to Bruce Township under a $117,032 intergovernmental agreement the committee advanced 13-0; the county will add one dispatch FTE funded by three 1/3 cost-sharing township agreements.
The committee voted unanimously to forward a $117,032 intergovernmental agreement under which Macomb County’s ComTech will provide full-time dispatch services to Bruce Township. The agreement was presented as revenue to the dispatch cellular fee fund and includes a prorated FY2025 budget amendment of $39,005.98 for Aug. 1–Dec. 31, 2025; the committee also approved increasing the county dispatch position count by one FTE.
Director Elsie (ComTech) presented the request and described the service: ComTech will dispatch for Bruce Township’s fire department and provide real-time call information, mobile routing to vehicle computers/tablets, station alerting and emergency medical dispatch protocol information. Elsie said each participating township contributes roughly one-third of the cost of a full-time dispatcher; Bruce Township’s agreement with ComTech is intended to bring the revenue and staffing in line so ComTech can fund a full FTE shared across Bruce, Armada and Ray townships.
Commissioners asked about the practical difference between current arrangements and a full dispatch contract. Commissioner Goicky asked what would “change” for Bruce Township when it began paying for the service; Elsie said they would receive direct dispatch routing to vehicle tablets and real-time call updates and that dispatch would manage apparatus assignment to streamline responses. The presenter emphasized the convenience of centralizing incoming 911 calls at ComTech: “What is very convenient about this intergovernmental agreement with Bruce is that we are already the primary PSAP for Bruce Township,” Elsie said, explaining that incoming 911 calls already arrive at the county 911 center and the contract would eliminate handoffs and radio-only alerts for certain responses.
Commissioners also asked about 911 selective routing and how calls are assigned to PSAPs; ComTech staff described the county’s ongoing migration to a new service provider (Peninsula Fiber Network) and said misrouted calls are typically corrected by the provider after the county notifies them.
The committee approved the Bruce Township dispatch agreement and its associated FY2025 budget amendment and position-count increase by a 13-0 vote. Staff noted the net fund-balance impact for the prorated FY2025 period and explained that the remaining two-thirds of the newly funded position were already supported by existing township agreements.
Votes and next steps: The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full Board of Commissioners. Staff will execute contract details, implement the position-count change, and proceed with operational onboarding with Bruce Township and the participating fire departments.
