In the midst of a pending lawsuit between the city of Madison and Dane County, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is continuing to push for a 311 center to handle nonemergency calls.
According to phase two of a review of the Public Safety Communications Center, released in February 2009, inadequate staffing contributes to problems in Dane County's dispatch center.
Twenty-two years ago, this centralized dispatch center was created to handle emergency and nonemergency calls after the city of Madison donated space in the City-County Building and its dispatch equipment to Dane County.
However, a new automated dispatch system has stirred up controversy. The purpose of the system is to allow 911 dispatchers to focus on emergencies, County Executive Kathleen Falk said in a statement.
The new system addresses a recommendation of the report that said it would be beneficial if dispatchers handled fewer nonemergency calls, such as parking and noise complaints.
However, Cieslewicz said the county does not have legal standing to implement the system without the consent of the 911 Center board.
Cieslewicz is proposing that the city and county instead give the public two numbers to use: 311 for nonemergencies and 911 for emergencies. He said when he first suggested the idea two years ago Falk dismissed it because it would be too expensive.
""Since then there has been a softening toward the idea,"" Cieslewicz wrote on his blog. ""To her credit, [Falk] hired a new communications center director who has experience in creating a 311 system from scratch.""
Whether the recommendation considered will be a legitimate solution to the disagreement between the city and county remains to be seen.
—Grace Urban
