City of Waukesha Votes Against Proposal to Merge 911 Dispatch with County

The Waukesha Common Council has voted against a proposal that would have merged the city's dispatch operations with the county. 

Under that proposal, portions of the City of Waukesha Communications Center would be transferred to the Waukesha County Communications Center.

Alderman voted 11-2 Tuesday night in favor of keeping their current operations, following over 2 hours of debate. 

The move would have saved the city roughly $6M over 10 years, according to a new study commission ed by the city last year. 

That study recommended against combining the services, citing potential staffing issues. The county would have had to hire 21 additional dispatchers on top of the 47 it currently has, an increase of 45%, per the report. 

     "From my perspective, the staffing is the largest issue as it relates to safety," said Council President Aaron Perry. "My constituents want to make sure they're listened to when they call 9-1-1, and when they call 9-1-1, they want to make sure that there's enough staff there to adhere to their call."

Alderman Erik Helgestad also voted against the change, but said the city will remain open to similar ideas in the future, should they become necessary.

     "It's a big decision, and it's not one that we take lightly," he says.