Middletown council votes to dissolve town dispatch, approves $2,500 retention stipend

The Middletown Town Council voted on Aug. 12, 2024, to dissolve the town-run dispatch service effective Jan. 1, 2025, and approved a $2,500 retention stipend for current dispatchers who remain employed through that date.

Council member Dan Fountain moved to dissolve the town dispatch, and Teresa Dennis seconded; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with Dan Fountain, Ryan Smith, Dave Wagner, Jake Smith and Teresa Dennis all recorded as voting yes. Later in the same meeting, Council member Dan Fountain moved and Jake Smith seconded a separate motion to give current dispatchers a $2,500 stipend if they stay employed until Jan. 1, 2025; that motion also carried 5-0.

The decision grew out of discussion of the 2025 General Fund budget, during which council members considered whether to retain the town’s dispatch operation or transfer it to the county in 2025. The meeting record does not specify funding sources for the stipend or provide details of the county transition plan.

The motions were formal roll-call actions recorded in the minutes; no amendments or conditions were noted in the meeting record. With those votes concluded, the council adjourned.

The clerk-treasurer’s signature appears on the meeting minutes; the record does not identify additional staff or members beyond those recorded in the vote. The record does not indicate a timetable beyond the Jan. 1, 2025 effective date or describe next steps for coordinating the transfer with county officials.