Perrysburg Township and the city of Perrysburg are studying the feasibility of combining their emergency dispatch departments.

The study will show how a combined department would work and the pricing structure, said township Administrator Jon Eckel.

“This is something we have kicked the can down the road for a long time,” Trustee Gary Britten said at last week’s meeting. “This is something that needs to be done.”

“If this works out, we’re hoping it will save us a bunch of money,” he added.

After the meeting, fire Chief Tom Brice said budgeting woes are paving the path to shared dispatching.

“It’s something that we’re going to have to do, just because everything’s gotten so expensive,” he said. “Combining dispatch opens a lot of opportunities for us, as well. We’re a pretty small operation right now. We try to have two dispatchers on duty, but sometimes it’s only one.”

“Working together, I think we’ll be able to do more with less money,” Chief Brice said. 

There have been talks with other municipalities, such as Northwood, about shared dispatching, he said.

“Everybody’s kind of afraid to make that first step,” Chief Brice said. “I’m hopeful that if we make the first step, others might come on board.”

The township dispatch handles approximately 15,000 calls a year, and the annual operations cost is $550,000, Mr. Eckel said. It employs six dispatchers, and they would all be employed with the city if dispatching is moved there, he said.

“The important thing is they’re taking our people. We’re concerned about our employees,” Mr. Eckel. “They’re good employees, and Perrysburg said they would need every one of them.”

The trustees approved paying for half of the $8,500 study at Wednesday’s meeting. Perrysburg City Council has not voted on the study, but Administrator Joe Fawcett said the township would be a perfect partner for the city.

“The city and township have a very good working relationship — most especially within the safety forces,” he said. “Providing the best service possible at the best cost possible is a primary goal for anyone in public administration.”

“Communities throughout the region are competing against each other for the same people in these critical positions, and staffing is a consistent concern for all of us,” Mr. Fawcett said. “If there is a possibility for us to pool our resources, so to speak, so that we can provide the best possible service to our community at the lowest possible cost — that is something we’re going to examine in great detail.”

The city is open to discussing dispatching with other communities,” he said.

“However, we are not trying to sell a service or recruit other communities,” Mr. Fawcett said.

The city dispatch in 2024 had 18,228 calls.

Mr. Fawcett said the city doesn’t currently break out the costs for dispatching. The costs are embedded in the police division budget.

A company called Maximas is conducting the study, he said. The study will help determine what the comprehensive cost of each communications officer position is at the city, and how many additional employees will be needed to handle calls for both Perrysburg and the township, he said.

First Published March 11, 2025, 4:36 p.m.