New Cost-Sharing Agreement On 911 Dispatch Center

A split Dubuque County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to move 911 dispatch to a shared building on Dubuque’s West End, per an agreement that the City of Dubuque would pay half of the $5 million cost for renovations. The decision — 2-1, with Supervisors Ann McDonough and Harley Pothoff for, and Supervisor Wayne Kenniker against — followed months of debate between supervisors and with City Manager Mike Van Milligen. The decision followed nearly a decade of local government partners in dispatch trying and failing to find a space to move 911 communications. The agreement approved by the Board of Supervisors would — in exchange for splitting the price tag for renovations 50/50, $2.5 million each — also lead to a new cost-sharing agreement between the City of Dubuque and Dubuque County for 911 operations. A report says that, right now, the city pays two-thirds of the cost while the county pays one-third. Per the agreement, the city and county would both pay 50%.