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9-1-1 Director Says Funds Largely Committed; County Lacks Large Reserve for Dispatch Expansion
Summary
Saint Clair County 9-1-1 director told the commission that annual 9-1-1 receipts are about $1.3 million and operating costs for dispatch infrastructure run around $600,000, leaving little extra funds to cover a new centralized-dispatch expansion without additional municipal contributions.
Aslan Campbell, the county’s 9-1-1 director, told commissioners that the 9-1-1 fund receives roughly $1.3 million annually and that core operating costs for call-taking infrastructure run about $600,000 a year, largely consumed by staff and program needs. Campbell said those funds pay for the server, software and related infrastructure and warned that the 9-1-1 board does not have substantial unrestricted reserves to cover other dispatch costs. “Don’t think that 9-1-1 has money sitting around extra money,” Campbell said, explaining that much of the funding is already committed to salaries and critical systems.
The conversation also covered whether bringing LEADS (another communications district) into the central system would create savings; commissioners cautioned that adding LEADS could increase staffing needs rather than reduce costs. Officials noted that the statutory 9-1-1 funding rules and the state 9-1-1 board constrain how those dollars can be used, and commissioners said they would be cautious about relying on 9-1-1 funds to cover non-eligible dispatch expenses.
What’s next: Commissioners asked the 9-1-1 director to include line-item details of recurring operations and to identify what costs would be necessary to add capacity so municipalities can assess financial implications.
