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The original item was published from 7/3/2018 5:27:40 PM to 7/26/2018 5:05:08 PM.
News Flash
Columbus News
Posted on: July 3, 2018[ARCHIVED] City of Columbus and Platte County Form Consolidated Communications Center
Following approval by both the city and county governments, dispatch forces will be combined for Columbus and Platte County authorities.
The Consolidated Communications Center Interlocal Cooperation Agreement was approved by the Columbus City Council on June 18, 2018, and by the Platte County Board of Supervisors on June 26, 2018, which will combine the dispatch efforts by both the City and the County into a single dispatch center. The agreement details that the new communications center will be overseen by a joint committee of five total members, consisting of the Chairperson of the Platte County Board of Supervisors; the Mayor of the City of Columbus, Nebraska; one member of the Platte County Board of Supervisors, as selected by that entity; one member of the City of Columbus City Council, as selected by that entity; and one final fifth member. The final fifth member shall be an individual who resides within the boundaries of Platte County, NE. This person shall not serve on either the Platte County Board of Supervisors or the City of Columbus City Council, and shall be nominated by the joint committee and approved by a majority vote of the Platte County Board of Supervisors and a majority vote of the City of Columbus City Council.
According to the agreement, the City of Columbus will fund initial costs, and Platte County will reimburse the city for operating costs in the future, according to the agreement.
The following is the history of the process that brought the two entities to the agreement:
- The current E911 Technical Committee was created in 2004, including both City and County representatives.
- That committee has been working toward a Joint Communications Center for dispatch services for many years.
- The committee, with the permission of the City Council and County Supervisors, conducted extensive research to determine the best plan to move forward.
- The new Joint Communications Center will be located in a portion of the Administration Building (Flight Service Station) at the Columbus Municipal Airport.
- Design has begun for the remodel of the space to become the Joint Communications Center. Remodeling of the space is expected to begin in early 2019.