Committee hears update on Green County consolidated dispatch study

The Public Safety Committee heard an update on a countywide consolidated 9-1-1 and dispatch proposal Wednesday, with Administrator Wendy presenting an APCO planning study that evaluated benefits, challenges and timing for a shared center.

Wendy said the planning work began in December 2024 when Broadhead received an innovation planning grant to study consolidation and that APCO visited Broadhead, Monroe and Greene County in June and presented a final study in August. "The APCO study did make it clear that a consolidated dispatch, would be recommended and they included some benefits but they also identified kind of what would need to happen for that," she told the committee.

The administrator outlined potential advantages — shared technology and training standards, stronger staffing models, fewer call transfers and compliance with national standards — and warned of drawbacks including loss of local control, funding uncertainties and governance and cultural adjustments. Committee members asked clarifying questions about how fire, EMS and rural calls are currently routed and how Monroe's local dispatch functions would interact with a centralized system.

Committee members and staff agreed there was no formal requirement to accept consolidation at this time and emphasized the need for further study and negotiated protections. Chair commentators noted the county is designing a new law enforcement center and is building capacity that could accommodate countywide dispatch, but multiple speakers underscored that any real transition would not be expected before 2027 and would require detailed agreements on funding, staffing and oversight.