Rosebud County discusses shifting 911 overflow to Dawson County

An agency official told the Rosebud County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 12 that the county's existing 911 overflow memorandum of understanding should be modified to make Dawson County the primary overflow center while keeping Rosebud County as a secondary resource.

"This is the current overflow contract that we have with Rosebud County," the agency official said, explaining how the current arrangement routes unanswered 911 calls to an overflow center. The official described a technical change made possible by CAD sharing with Dawson County that would allow dispatchers there to see calls and add documentation directly, reducing the number of calls Rosebud dispatchers must place to notify other agencies.

"We would like to change our primary overflow agency to Dawson County," the official said, arguing the change would cut dispatcher workload during large incidents and improve documentation for mutual-aid responses; the official cited a past multi-unit fire response as an example where live CAD visibility sped coordination and the state fire marshal's reporting.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the operational impact and communications protocols. The agency official said they would work with Rosebud dispatch leadership and the other agency's dispatch center to define responsibilities and suggested circulating a revised agreement via email for county approval and signatures.

Rather than approving the change immediately, the board amended the motion to "take under advisement" the proposed modifications and voted to move the revised agreement onto a future agenda for formal approval. The meeting record shows the commissioners agreed to consider the edited MOU after county staff and the agency official exchange the finalized text.

Next steps: the agency official will circulate proposed contract modifications for review and the board will place the finalized agreement on a future agenda for formal action.