Rossford is racking up 911 calls, and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office is requesting more money for dispatching.
Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn gave a presentation during Monday’s city council meeting on how much Rossford’s calls for service have increased. Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance amending the dispatch contract.
“Rossford has grown,” he said. “Your population hasn’t increased a lot, but your business has — which is a great thing, that’s your tax base.”
The sheriff cited several examples of 911 calls coming from Rossford businesses in 2024: Amazon, 385 law enforcement calls and 172 fire/EMS calls; Meijer had 140 law enforcement calls and 26 fire/EMS; Target had 85 law enforcement calls and six fire/EMS; and UPS had 52 law enforcement calls and 31 fire/EMS.
“There are a lot of calls, a lot of activity going on,” Sheriff Wasylyshyn said.
He asked the city for a 100 percent increase, to pay for the salaries of two dispatchers instead of one.
The sheriff laid out the history of Rossford’s dispatch, which started out of the former Libbey-Owens-Ford glass plant. Walbridge then dispatched for several entities, including Rossford, for a few years before Lake Township took over the operations, he said.
In 2014, Mayor Neil MacKinnon III asked the sheriff to present a proposal about dispatching. At the time, the city was paying Lake Township $135,000, according to a Blade report at the time.
The city has contracted with the county ever since. Walbridge and Lake Township also contract with Wood County.
“We do the initial dispatching for every fire and EMS [department] in the county,” Sheriff Wasylyshyn said.
The county receives 36,000 911 calls annually, he said. Of the 36,000, county dispatchers answer 99.9 percent in 15 seconds. The remainder are answered within 20 seconds.
“And that’s off the charts,” the sheriff said, adding that some 911 services may put callers on hold.
Rossford had 8,379 911 calls in 2024, Lake Township had 5,658, and Walbridge had 3,893.
Rossford currently pays for one dispatcher, and he asked that to increase to two dispatchers. By comparison, Lake Township pays for the salaries of 1.5 dispatchers, and Walbridge pays for half of a dispatcher’s salary.
In northern Wood County, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township, and Northwood each has its own dispatch service.
Perrysburg Township is paying $950,000 for dispatching annually, Sheriff Wasylyshyn said. Northwood, which is the smallest city in the county, is paying $550,000 a year for dispatching, he said.
“All I’m asking, with all this growth, is to keep it fair,” he said.
The city paid just under $100,000 in 2024 for sheriff’s dispatching and will be paying $200,000 in 2025, said Allyson Murray, city administrator.
After the meeting, she said the increase was fair. “I trust the sheriff, and I think they do a nice job for us,” she said.
The 911 call volume justifies the increase, Mayor MacKinnon said.
“Our calls have doubled, and we’ll still be paying less than our neighbors,” he said. “I still think it’s a great deal for the city of Rossford.”
Councilman Zachary Owen asked whether the new dispatcher would start immediately.
The sheriff said he would begin the hiring process now, and the dispatcher, after four months of training, will be ready to work in July. Sheriff Wasylyshyn said he’d wait until summer to start billing the city.
Also at the meeting, council:
● Proceeded with replacing flashing beacons with pedestrian hybrid beacons on Dixie Highway and Superior Street for $589,053.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is paying for 90 percent of the eligible costs, up to a maximum of $481,548 in federal funds. The city's 10 percent portion is estimated as $53,505. Rossford will be required to pay the inspection costs, which are estimated at $54,000.
● Authorized the city administrator to contract with Henry W. Bergman Inc. of Genoa, Ohio, for Marilyn Drive drainage and paving for $415,398. The start date will be before June 3, and it should be completed by Nov. 14.
First Published February 12, 2025, 3:46 p.m.
