WEBSTER CITY — The City of Webster City and Hamilton County on Friday agreed unanimously to consolidate their emergency dispatch services, effective Oct. 1.

The only vocal opposition was from Todd Copley, president of AFSCME Council 61.

“We represent the five dispatchers that are potentially going to be placed out of work with this decision,” he told the City Council of Webster City and the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors in the joint meeting at City Hall.

“It’s not acceptable for the City of Webster City and Hamilton County to rush into consolidating dispatch services without meaningful community engagement and transparency. While an outside consultant claimed dispatch systems are redundant, let’s remember that redundancy in emergency services often means saving lives. Having multiple channels and local dispatchers who know local neighborhoods, local roads, local residents, is not a flaw. It’s a critical safeguard.”

Dispatchers from both the city and county attended the meeting but did not speak.

Copley argued, “The proposal has been in discussion for months. I find that ironic that nobody, as far as the staff, were aware of it. The union that represents the employees were never involved, never contacted. You have a collective bargaining agreement that represents these employees. A mutually agreed upon document between the employer and the employee representative. We were never contacted for any of this, but real public discussion has not happened.

“Me holding a meeting at 2 p.m. on a weekday when many can’t attend to this; it’s truly not a community input. Before voting, the City Council (and) Board of Supervisors owe it to the people they serve. Hold evening town meetings to gather residents’ input, share a clear plan on how consolidation will impact response times, address job impacts and local knowledge concerns, provide transparency data showing how this will improve, not just change safety.”

Copley did not respond by press time to an email requesting real-life examples of the situations to which he referred.

John Harrenstein, Webster City’s city manager, confirmed that there are employees who will be impacted by the decision.

“There are five individuals that were given notice of a reduction of force,” he said just after Friday’s meeting adjourned.

“Our staff will be meeting with them early (this) week to go over the details of that agreement. It should be noted that the agreement does not start until Oct. 1, so there should not be any disruption to the public in terms of their access to dispatch services until the time of consolidation.”

Rick Young, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, is eager to see the merger begin.

“We won’t lose any employees,” he said. “It is a battle to hire.”

He said the initial goal will be to have eight dispatchers immediately who will work in pairs covering 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“But they have family things. They have vacation, they have sickness,” he said. “So we need two more to cover those shortfalls.”

That means, according to Young, that ultimately the merged dispatch center will need to employ 10 people.

Hamilton County Sheriff Alex Pruismann said he fully supports the consolidation.

“The sheriff’s office and the police department’s top priority is ensuring every Hamilton County resident receives the fastest and most effective emergency response possible. Consolidating our dispatch centers is a strategic move to streamline operations, reduce response times, and enhance coordination across law enforcement, fire and EMS services,” he said.

“This is not just a cost-saving measure; it’s a modernization effort. We’re building a communications infrastructure within our county that can meet the growing demands of our communities today and for decades to come. This isn’t just about today; it’s about our future and being a step ahead so that emergency services can best serve the public.”

He added, “This consolidation effort is a shining example of what we can achieve when the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Webster City Police Department work together toward a common goal: providing the best possible emergency response services to our residents. By combining our resources and expertise, we’re creating a stronger, more responsive system for everyone.

“When the city approached the county regarding this dispatching merger earlier in 2025 due to their internal audit, it was well received, long overdue and, without hesitation, we agreed to start working together to make this the smoothest transition possible.”

Mayor John Hawkins said in a media release: “We are united in our goal to protect the lives and property of our citizens. This consolidation represents one of the strongest collaborative efforts I’ve seen between the city and county, and it marks a major improvement in our ability to respond effectively to emergencies.”

In April, the city shared the results of an operational audit of the Webster City Police Department, conducted at the city’s behest by McGrath Consulting Group, Jamestown, Tennessee. McGrath brought six experts to Webster City in late 2024 and spent several days interviewing every member of the local police department.

Among the conditions cited in the audit was an opportunity to improve local dispatch operations, saying the current system is sometimes redundant, according to a Daily Freeman-Journal story published in April.

“The use of multiple communications channels between the two agencies ‘increases the potential for misinterpretations and errors,'” according to the consultant’s report.