Fulton County, Rochester consolidating 911 dispatch services

Fulton County Commissioners on Monday signed an interlocal agreement aimed at consolidating emergency communications with the city of Rochester.

Officials of Fulton County and the city of Rochester are close to finalizing an interlocal agreement to operate a combined, or centralized, 911 dispatch center. 

The proposed four-year agreement, which was unanimously approved by county commissioners Monday, calls for the city to pay the county $100,000 annually to take over its 911 dispatch services full time from here on out. It awaits the signatures of Rochester Mayor Trent Odell and City Council President Brian Goodman, anticipated at the city council's meeting tonight. If approved, all emergency communications within Fulton County would be handled by the county's dispatch center within the Fulton County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center at 2006 Sweetgum Road. 

The proposed interlocal agreement was presented to commissioners by Barry Ritter, co-founder of Ritter Strategic Services LLC – contracted by the county to assist in the transition to centralized dispatching. 

"It fully consolidates the dispatch responsibilities that the Rochester Police Department has today back into the 911 center, so they will be the only emergency communications center in the county," Ritter said of the agreement, which would replace an ordinance dating back to 1997 in the creation of the emergency communications center. 

In addition to creating a new joint department known as the Fulton County Emergency Communications Department (under the authority of county commissioners and the county council), the agreement also calls for the county and city to establish a joint advisory board. That board, in cooperation with the 911 director, would establish and implement operational policies and procedures. It would be comprised of seven members: the sheriff; city police chief; city fire chief; county coroner; a fire chief of a unit within the county appointed by the president of the County Fire Association Board; one law enforcement officer of the county other than from the city police department; and one representative of emergency medical services. A designee could be chosen to serve in several of these instances. 

"In the past, those policies have been brought to commissioners. In this interlocal agreement, for the establishment of that operations board, it will be their responsibility to approve operational policies as proposed by the 911 director," Ritter said. 

That board is to meet at least quarterly, with its members to serve at least one year and no more than four, unless recommended by the appointing authority. 

The city's $100,000 annual payment is to be made in quarterly installments. Additionally, a 2024 payment totaling $16,666.66 is to be prorated for November and December. The county is to invoice the city in December.

The city is additionally to pay the county an annual fee of $5,000 for use of the county's computer-aided dispatch system through Spillman Technologies Inc. Again, that payment is to be prorated, totaling $833.34 for the next two months. 

The agreement, if approved by city officials, will take effect Nov. 1 and continue through Oct. 31, 2028. 

"What we will do going forward is the standard operating procedures that exist need to be reviewed and updated, and new ones written," Ritter said, adding that he would work with 911 Director Brittney Thompson for those to be approved by the new board.