The 911 turf battle

The city has released the final consultant report about potential changes to the 911 center. The 100-page report by Mission Critical Partners recommends that the city not establish a new civilian-led department to oversee 911 call-takers. On that mark it sided with City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Mayor Kirk Watson.

But Mike Siegel and Krista Laine, who have been leading the push on Council for a new 911 agency, argue that the report didn't consider all of the issues it was asked to examine, particularly the issue of mental health calls.

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"In August 2025, Council unanimously requested a feasibility study and cost estimate for creating an independent department for emergency communications, with a deadline of December 2025," said Krista Laine in a statement. "Instead, what we received, almost a year later, appears to be an analysis built around a pre-determined outcome, without genuine consideration of what such a department would actually look like."

A statement from Siegel's office said the report "vindicates" Council's narrow vote last month to allocate funding to establish civilian leadership positions, even if it falls short of recommending the creation of a separate agency.