Cumberland County commissioners approve amended resolution to consolidate 911 centers, designate county as lead agency

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on June 26 to approve an amended joint resolution with the city to pursue consolidation of the county and city 911 centers into a single public-safety answering point (PSAP) and to designate Cumberland County as the lead administrative agency for the consolidated operation.

The board’s action authorizes staff to ask the state to fund a third‑party integrator to develop consolidation and implementation recommendations, and—if the state declines—to split the integrator’s cost evenly between the county and the city. The board resolved to target a memorandum of understanding and preliminary agreement within 45 days, to procure an integrator within approximately 30 days of executing that agreement, and to implement the consolidation within a maximum of 36 months of receiving the integrator’s recommendations. The resolution also requires defined performance standards, a four‑year independent review, and a process for the county and city to cure any identified deficiencies.

Why it mattered

County staff and public‑safety partners told commissioners that the move aims to reduce information handoffs and improve redundancy across the county’s emergency communications. Emergency Services Director Gary Crumpler described investments in a hardened facility at 500 Executive Place and said the county’s center holds a TRI‑ACE accreditation; he argued the county runs a high‑quality operation and that consolidation would address handoff problems that surfaced after a critical incident at a school.

Voices from users and partners

Speakers from multiple user agencies — including the county EMS chief, the sheriff’s office, municipal fire chiefs and Fort Bragg representatives — told the board they value the quality of service from dispatch and want a consolidated system that preserves standards. Cumberland County EMS Chief Peter Allen said the system handles roughly 80,000 responses countywide and supports building on the existing county model. Fort Bragg’s Assistant Chief Josh Hopkins described his command’s mutual‑aid links with five counties and three municipalities and said Fort Bragg is neutral on who administers a consolidated center but wants to be included in redundancy planning.

Debate and safeguards

Some commissioners pressed for explicit guardrails. Commissioner Tyson and others said the county should be named lead only if the resolution includes performance standards, an operational governance model to preserve professional control, and mechanisms to protect municipalities’ voice. To address those concerns, the amended resolution: (1) designates Cumberland County as the lead administrative agency, (2) calls for an integrator to recommend consolidation steps while leaving procurement/funding options open, (3) requires performance measures and a four‑year independent review with remediation steps, and (4) invites Fort Bragg to participate in future discussions rather than folding Fort Bragg administratively into the PSAP language.

Formal action

The board approved the amended joint resolution as presented at the meeting and authorized the chair to sign after the attorney finalized language. The transcript records the vote as unanimous; the meeting did not include a roll‑call tally naming each member’s vote in the public record.

Next steps

Attorney Hasty was directed to finalize the resolution language and return it to the city clerk; staff will ask the state to fund the integrator and, if the state declines, the county and city will share the cost. The resolution and supporting documents will be posted on the county’s public hub for the project and municipalities will be engaged as the MOU and implementation details are negotiated.