Revere council approves three‑way regional 911 agreement with Chelsea and Winthrop

The Revere City Council on Monday approved an intermunicipal agreement to form the Metro North Regional Emergency Communications District and Dispatch Center, adding the city of Chelsea to an existing regional 911 arrangement with Revere and the town of Winthrop.

Councilors voted unanimously to approve the agreement by roll call after a presentation from the mayor and comments from municipal officials. The vote brings Chelsea into a regional call center currently run out of the Revere Police Department.

Mayor Keith said the agreement revives a long‑standing plan to operate a three‑community regional 9‑1‑1 system. "What you have in front of you is an intermunicipal agreement between the cities of Riviera, Winthrop, and Chelsea," the mayor said, later noting the region was designed to serve three municipalities when it began roughly 15 years ago. He described the addition of Chelsea as a way to make grant funding and operations more efficient.

The mayor and other officials said moving to a three‑member district would change the region’s state tier classification and increase eligibility for state 9‑1‑1 grants. ‘‘By bringing a community like Chelsea in, the city would be eligible to receive upwards of $15,000,000 in grant funding as opposed to being a tier 2 community [which] would only be eligible for upwards of $8 to $9,000,000,’’ the mayor said.

Chelsea City Manager Fidel Moltest told the council Chelsea’s governing body had voted 11–0 in favor of joining and that the move had been under consideration for years. Moltest said bringing the communities together was intended to spread overhead costs and strengthen staffing and training.

Council members who spoke in favor said the arrangement would allow the region to modernize its call‑center facility. The administration said the regional 9‑1‑1 operations will relocate to the refurbished McKinley School, where officials plan 13,000–14,000 square feet for dispatch operations and a larger training facility. The council was told the renovation would also include seismic reinforcement to protect communications during catastrophic events.

Councilor Kelly and others inquired about employee protections and service quality. The mayor said existing staff positions and pay rates would be protected and that local protocols — for example, Chelsea calls being handled consistent with Chelsea’s procedures — would be maintained through memoranda of understanding among the participating communities. Whitney Morgan, identified in the discussion as the regional call center director, was cited by the mayor as leading the center’s training and standards.

The motion before the council read: "Shall the City Council approve the agreement by and among the city of Revere, the town of Winthrop, and the city of Chelsea for the Metro North Regional Emergency Communications District and Dispatch Center?" The council recorded a unanimous roll call in favor. The mayor and multiple councilors described the vote as an important step to expand grant eligibility, reduce per‑community assessments based on call volume, and modernize the region’s dispatch capacity.

The agreement will now move into implementation steps described by city staff, including finalizing memoranda addressing operational details, staffing protections, and the planned move to the McKinley School facility. Officials said they expect state grant dollars and other funding to support the buildout and transition.

The council approved the agreement and congratulated the mayor, Chelsea officials, and public‑safety leadership on completing the intermunicipal arrangement.