Commissioners will be asked during public hearing to delay action on 911 Plan

COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Board of Commissioners will be asked Tuesday afternoon by cities, towns and townships from throughout the county as well as police and fire agencies to delay making a final decision on a proposed 911 service plan.

A public hearing on the plan is scheduled to take place during the Commissioners final regular meeting of the year.

Kevin Kearns from IXP spent two weeks in Branch County after being hired by County Commissioners in September.

He reported there was a lot of tension in the current model and service plan. He also found out in his interviews that the tensions have been going on for a considerable amount of time.

But numerous concerns have been expressed about the proposed service plan. Coldwater City Manager Keith Baker, who serves as the chair of the 911 Advisory Board, told the Coldwater City Council last week “The plan was drafted by County administration and vests all authority and decision making with the County and relegates all of the other municipalities, law enforcement agencies, fire services, townships and public to strictly an advisory role even though all of these stakeholders are recipients of the 911 center’s services and relies on them on a daily basis.”

Baker also said last week the draft service plan has been prepared without any input from other stakeholders of the 911 Central Dispatch system.  A resolution passed by the City Council also asked Commissioners to engage the County’s various municipal and public agencies in developing a new service plan.

Bronson City Manager Brandon Mersman told the Bronson City Council last week that as currently written, the plan would not be in anyone’s best interests.