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Council discusses dispatch upgrade costs, 700 MHz shift and 911 funding
Summary
Council members reviewed a Priority Dispatch implementation estimate ($80k–$140k depending on shared vs. single-center), county 911 surcharge distribution, and noted a 2021 ~$7 million estimate to add towers; Tim Richmond said the 911 Board recently invested $40,000 in radio changes and will consider an RFP for infrastructure.
The Wapello County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council discussed options to modernize the county’s 911 dispatch system, including a possible Priority Dispatch implementation and changes to radio frequency banding. Tim Richmond said a Priority Dispatch setup would cost about $80,000–$100,000 for a shared dispatch center or roughly $140,000 for a single-center installation, and that the county is considering whether to combine city and county dispatch operations.
T.J. Millikin and Tim Richmond reported that the county’s current 911 surcharge is $1 per phone line, with the county receiving 60% of that on wireless lines (40% goes to the state) and 100% on landlines. Richmond also noted a 2021 estimate that adding four towers to improve county coverage would cost about $7 million and described a technical tradeoff: "VHF covers longer distances, however 700 MHz can go through 'walls' such as in buildings and houses," a factor in coverage inside structures. He said the 911 Board recently invested $40,000 in radio changes at ORMICS and will consider requesting an RFP consultant and exploring a combined dispatch approach at its July 16, 2026 meeting.
