Ramsey County seeks to modernize 9-1-1 joint powers agreement, cites technology and governance needs

Nancy Pass, director of Ramsey County's Emergency Communications Center, briefed the board on a planned modernization of the center's joint powers agreements for consolidated 9-1-1 operations.

Pass said the ECC is "the largest 9-1-1 center in the state of Minnesota providing dispatch services for 10 police departments and 9 fire departments and we serve 5,500 residents." She told commissioners the center processed just under 1,000,000 calls in 2025 and handled over 84,000 calls in July 2026, underscoring the scale of operations driving the need to update governance and technology agreements.

The modernization effort will aim to replace several dated JPAs with a single operational agreement supported by primary service agreements for core systems such as radio and computer-aided dispatch. Pass said the revisions will explicitly address cloud-based systems, subscription models, procurement and lifecycle management, and strengthen expectations and communication pathways for the Dispatch Policy Committee.

Pass described stakeholder outreach already under way (44 surveys sent and 20 responses) and said staff expect to release a draft JPA in October or November for review, with a target to execute a modernized agreement in March 2027 to align with subsequent budget recommendations.

During Q&A commissioners asked about capital needs, including next-generation radio consoles and potential statewide solutions being discussed at the legislature. Pass said the county is tracking a statewide "armor" project and will continue to evaluate funding paths. She also said the ECC's current cost structure (about a 60% levy / 40% cities split based on a three-year call-volume average) is not presently slated for change.

The board praised ECC staff and emphasized the importance of city engagement as the county moves to consolidate agreements.