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Cayuga County 911 leaders brief legislature on equipment, staff mandates and $1.5M NG911 award
Summary
County 911/dispatch staff told legislators that aging communications hardware, new state‑mandated pre‑employment testing and rising training costs are key drivers of next year’s budget; presenters noted a $1.5 million NG911 grant and a pending $650,000 ESInet application.
Denise, the county’s 911 operations presenter, told legislators the dispatch center is facing new costs tied to staff well‑being, state mandates and aging infrastructure. She said the county recently received an NG911 grant of $1,500,000 and is applying for an ESInet grant of about $650,000 to address communications upgrades.
Those awards are targeted, Denise said, and cannot be used to replace general operating revenue. She listed several mandated pre‑employment requirements that will add line‑item costs: psychological exams, physicals and hearing tests in addition to existing fingerprinting and drug testing. Denise also called attention to staff burnout and the mental‑health burden on long‑tenured dispatchers and shared a Department of Homeland Security training video she circulated to members to illustrate those pressures.
The county’s radio/communications system is roughly 14 years old, Denise said; while core software receives periodic updates, ancillary equipment such as antennas, shelter‑mounted radio units, generators and UPS systems are reaching end of life. She estimated useful lives for some equipment at 10–20 years and warned that failures can cascade: “When one fails you’ve got to start preparing for others,” she said. A recent preventive maintenance check identified UPS batteries older than five years that will need replacement at an estimated $12,000.
Other budget items identified included replacement of continuously used ergonomic chairs (presented as about $20,000 for the center), and recurring training costs. Denise reported three new hires and three remaining vacancies (two entry‑level dispatchers and one supervisor). She outlined a multi‑stage training pipeline — classroom, supervised call taking and discipline‑specific training — that can take a year to 18 months to complete for fully cross‑trained staff, and noted additional tuition or travel costs when staff attend external basic dispatch or emergency medical dispatch courses.
Denise summarized how grant revenue is being handled in the proposed budget: the department places expected grant award amounts in revenue accounts and mirrors those anticipated expenses in the budget so it avoids drawing on fund balance if awards arrive at the levels projected. She said the department will continue using targeted grant awards to offset communications maintenance and capital needs, but that many daily operating expenses remain uncovered by grants.
Next steps: staff will continue to refine the 2026 request and update the legislature as grant awards are finalized. The presentation did not include a formal vote on the dispatch budget during this session.
