NORTHWOOD, Ohio — Northwood city officials are considering closing their local 911 dispatch center and transferring emergency calls to Wood County’s dispatch center in Bowling Green.
Community members shared their concerns during a packed city council meeting held Thursday night at the Northwood Municipal Building.
People fear the proposal could impact emergency response times and cost jobs.
“We really need to keep our dispatch local,” Northwood resident Auderey Caliguiri said.
City officials are exploring this change as part of broader budget cuts.
The city's looking into having every department in Northwood cut its budget by 5%, according to city administrator Kevin Laughlin.
“We’ve had down revenue streams this year,” Laughlin said. “We have a couple of large accounts that are underperforming past years, so revenue’s down and costs have gone up.”
Laughlin said many neighboring townships and cities already use Wood County's dispatch service.
Northwood officials also said this change could be a step toward creating a regional fire district.
“It’s beginning to make sense from an administrative standpoint,” Laughlin said.
However, residents remain concerned about potential job losses for the city's five current dispatchers and Wood County dispatchers possibly not knowing the area.
“I’m not going to bad-mouth Wood County, but I just don’t think they’re the fit for Northwood," Caliguiri said. “I think our council people are smart enough to know that the voice of the people is their vote."
This proposal is still in the early stages and might not even happen. It all depends on where council decides to make cuts.
Discussions are scheduled to continue on Dec. 5.