Pettis County Joint Communications Director Danielle Lauder told the Sedalia City Council on Nov. 3 that the center has received a $1,200,000 grant to replace call-handling software and move to a next-generation 9-1-1 platform expected to be delivered in December.

"We have an average answer time currently year to date of 4.1 seconds, and we are doing that 97.93% of the time," Lauder said, citing the National Emergency Number Association standard and the center's performance. She said the center’s abandoned-call rate for 2025 is about 4.21% and that many abandoned calls are misdials.

Lauder said the grant covered the call-handling software replacement and related equipment, reducing the agency's equipment needs for 2026. The grant also enables new capabilities — including text, pictures and multimedia — once the second part of the grant is executed. Lauder said that location times for caller location will improve from roughly 12 seconds to near real-time when the system is fully active.

On revenues, Lauder said the proposed 2026 base revenue for the 9-1-1 center is $425,000 with small additional receipts from prepaid taxes; the center will request an extra $58,800 beyond current contractual contributions from participating agencies. She described that amount as a compromise worked through the 9-1-1 board to maintain service levels and staffing.

Lauder outlined quality measures and goals for 2026, including reducing call-processing times, analyzing call-to-dispatch efficiencies and strengthening employee satisfaction and interagency collaboration. She said a state-supported procurement process handled the platform purchase and that the Pettis County Office of Grants and Special Initiatives administered the grant procurement.

No formal council action accompanied the presentation; council members asked clarifying questions about the grant and procurement route during the discussion. The presentation preceded separate votes on public-safety grant applications and other agenda items.