Council Picks Edina For 911 Dispatch

Citing close ties between the Edina Fire Department and the Richfield Fire Department, the Richfield City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to make Edina the city's 911 dispatchers.

"This is a tough one," Council Member Tom Fitzhenry (Ward 3) said. "The dispatch center has been in the community since 1966. People have grown up with it, it kind of nurtured our community."

Mayor Debbie Goettel and all four council members praised Richfield's dispatchers to the heavens.

The council voted last month to drop the city's own dispatchers after coming face-to-face with the bill for modernizing the dispatchers' equipment. Bloomington, Edina, and Hennepin County had all submitted offers to Richfield officials:

• Hennepin County: A one-time transition payment of $80,000;
• Edina: $148,000 a year with $48,600 in transition costs;
• Bloomington: $450,000 a year with $50,000 in transition costs.

Both Hennepin County and Bloomington had promised to hire some of Richfield's dispatchers, if selected. Following Tuesday's vote, Richfield City Manager Steve Devich said Edina officials told him they were exploring whether they could also offer positions to some of Richfield's dispatchers.

At Tuesday's meeting, city council members worried that using Hennepin County dispatchers could lead to confusion when Richfield police tried to assist neighboring departments. The strength of Richfield firefighters' ties to the Edina Fire Department was frequently cited as a deciding factor.

The new, merged dispatchers will begin operation on Jan. 1, 2014.

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