The Scioto County Commissioners at their June 15 meeting went off agenda and discussed the possibility of creating a committee to consider consolidating all the county’s 911 emergency dispatch systems into a single entity.

Currently, the county has three 911 centers: Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, New Boston Police Department, and Portsmouth Police Department.

“According to the ORC (Ohio Revised Code), we have to put together a 911 committee,” said Commissioner Bryan Davis. He and fellow Commissioner Scottie Powell made and seconded a motion to nominate Commission Chair Cathy Coleman to discuss the topic with the Scioto County Prosecutor.

“I’m not exactly sure as far as other individuals on the committee,” Davis said. He had pointed out that local law enforcement and emergency officials would need to be involved. “We need to look at it. I’d like to start that conversation so it’s open and transparent with the public. It’s something that’s been heavily discussed in our community about consolidation.”

Commissioner Scottie Powell said 911 consolidation was something he knew law enforcement had been looking into.

“I know a lot of work has been going into this by our sheriff,” Powell said.

The commissioners agreed that any potential consolidation would have to accomplish two things: better the health and safety of citizens, saving time on response times. It would also have to be fiscally sound for the entities involved and save money for the taxpayers.

“The committee is going to have to look at all that,” Davis said. “Then they report to us their findings.”