Judge and public defend joint 9-1-1 plan and fee as court hears concerns over messaging

Madison County officials used the July 8 fiscal court meeting to defend an ongoing joint 9-1-1 plan and the associated public fee after the judge said some outside agendas had miscast the county's intent.

Judge Taylor said Richmond, Berea and Madison County have worked together for more than two years to design a joint 9-1-1 plan and that the county and its partners voted to participate in a joint 9-1-1 approach. He asked the public to note that the effort is collaborative and expressed disappointment that some outside agendas portrayed Madison County as acting alone.

A public commenter, Dr. Paula Miyake, spoke in favor of the consolidated system and described the operational improvements that come from modern dispatch systems. Miyake said the upgraded system can locate callers by cell phone and said the small fee charged to support 9-1-1 services is reasonable given the service improvements. "It is a very small charge for an incredibly efficient service," she said.

Magistrates and court members also praised staff working on the 9-1-1 project, with one magistrate saying the task force consisted of "the best people we had" and that criticism of the task force was unfair. The judge and magistrates thanked county 9-1-1 staff, finance and planning personnel for their work preparing information and helping build the joint plan.

Court members urged partner governments to coordinate public messaging so residents understand the joint approach to 9-1-1 funding and service, and they said staff would continue to work with Richmond and Berea as implementation proceeds. No formal action or vote on the fee was taken at the meeting.