Gadsden Approves Dispatch Consolidation with Etowah County 911
GADSDEN, Ala. — The Gadsden City Council has approved an agreement to transition the city’s emergency dispatch services to Etowah County 911, a move aimed at improving efficiency and reducing response times across the region.
Once completed, the consolidation will bring all emergency dispatch operations in the county under one roof at the Etowah County 911 Center near the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport. City officials estimate the transition could take six months to a year to complete.
The decision comes as the city prepares for major municipal changes, including the construction of a new city hall on Broad Street and the relocation of the police department to the former University of Alabama Gadsden Center. The police department’s current location houses the city’s dispatch services, which will be transferred during the transition.
Prior to this agreement, emergency calls within Gadsden city limits were routed to the city’s own dispatch center. However, due to jurisdictional overlap, calls from near the city limits were occasionally misrouted to Etowah County 911, resulting in delays as calls were transferred back and forth. Officials say consolidating dispatch operations under a single agency will eliminate this issue and improve response times.
The city will make a one-time payment of $640,000 to the Etowah County Communications District to cover the cost of moving equipment, purchasing new consoles and furniture, and other associated expenses. Following the transition, Gadsden will pay an annual fee of $850,000 for dispatch services under an initial three-year agreement.
City officials noted the consolidation is expected to save Gadsden a significant amount of money, as the current budget for dispatch services ranges between $1.2 million and $1.3 million annually. The city will continue to maintain its communication towers.
Ten Gadsden Police Department dispatchers will be affected by the move. They will remain city employees during the transition period but will ultimately undergo a hiring process to become employees of the Etowah County Communications District. Plans are also in place to cross-train dispatchers once the transition is complete.
The change aligns with the original vision for the Etowah County 911 Center, which was built to house all emergency telecommunications services in one location. With this move, nearly all municipalities in the county—except for one—will be centralized under the same dispatch system.
Meanwhile, redevelopment is underway in Gadsden. The new city hall is under construction and expected to open next spring. Local business owners, including those near the new municipal buildings, are optimistic about the city’s ongoing transformation. There is also interest from developers in repurposing both the current city hall and the police department facilities.
