Members of the Marion City Council questioned Wednesday night what the city would have to pay if all emergency dispatch operations in Grant County were consolidated into a single, new center.
County commissioners first suggested last year looking into the possibility of housing dispatchers from the Marion Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Department and other smaller police agencies under one roof.
Commissioners President Mark Bardsley reported to the council for the first time Wednesday night on what it might take to make that happen.
Lowering response time, which is related to the number of times 911 callers have to be transferred to the correct responder, is a main motivation toward consolidation.
Consultant Pyramid Architecture/Engineering & Construction Administration said building and equipping an emergency operations center to handle all 911 calls would cost more than $2.6 million. Annual operations would run about $1.3 million.
But the agencies involved could save $8 million or more in the first decade, the study found.
Marion would only have to continue paying salaries and benefits for its dispatchers, Bardsley said. The county would pay for the building.
Bardsley said the project is a no-go “if we cannot put it together with current revenue levels.”
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