Grand Rapids approves a three-year 911 deal with Kent County that replaces the county dispatch authority

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids and Kent County will share direct control of 911 call-taking and dispatch for the next three years under an agreement city commissioners approved last week, a deal that does away with the Kent County Dispatch Authority.

City commissioners approved the intergovernmental agreement Oct. 6 as part of the meeting’s consent agenda, which passed in a single voice vote with no objection heard, Mosaic West Michigan reported.

Under the deal, money for dispatch technology upgrades rises to $1.9 million a year, according to a summary in the city’s Commission Connected newsletter reported by the news site Newzino. The city expects to gain $200,000 in revenue each year and to save $150,000 a year in administrative costs, according to that summary.

The dispatch authority has overseen both of the county’s main 911 centers. Kent County’s website says its communications center and the Grand Rapids Communications Center serve under the authority’s direction, and the county center dispatches for 38 police and fire agencies. According to the authority’s own website, the actual call-taking is done under contracts with two agencies, the city police department and the county sheriff, which hold the call records.

The Mitten Daily could not find the text of the agreement or the newsletter summary online Tuesday.

Other items in the same vote included a Bazen Electric contract worth $1.75 million, with a ceiling of roughly $2.14 million, for a new substation at the wastewater treatment plant. Commissioners also accepted a $210,099 grant from the Michigan Green Building Collaborative that pays for a full-time sustainability position, and they backed a liquor license tied to the new Amway soccer stadium, Mosaic reported.

Commissioners also authorized publishing a proposed change to the city’s noise rules that would let the Acrisure Amphitheater run past the noise limits until 11 p.m. The city manager could approve later finishes when a show is delayed, FOX 17 reported. The Mitten Daily covered the start of that debate earlier this month. A final vote is expected at the commission’s next meeting, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, where commissioners will also hold public hearings on housing rezonings along stretches of Livingston and Fuller avenues NE, Mosaic reported.

Sources:
Newzino, “Grand Rapids, Kent County replace 911 dispatch authority with three-year agreement,” Oct. 6, 2026 (citing the city’s Commission Connected newsletter), https://newzino.com/story/grand-rapids-kent-county-911-intergovernmental-agreement-2026-10-06
Mosaic West Michigan, “Civic Wrap-up: Noise, money and a long Tuesday in Grand Rapids,” Oct. 10, 2026, https://www.mosaicwestmichigan.com/civic-wrap-up-noise-money-and-a-long-tuesday-in-grand-rapids/
Kent County, 911 Communications Center, https://www.kentcountymi.gov/899/911-Communications-Center
Kent County Dispatch Authority, Record Request, https://kent911.org/record-request/
FOX 17, “Amphitheater noise exemption vote planned for end of the month”, https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/acrisure-amphitheater-noise-exemption-vote-planned-for-end-of-the-month
Photo: Mark Wolfe, FEMA, “FEMA - 7976 - Photograph by Mark Wolfe taken on 05-14-2003 in Tennessee.jpg,” May 14, 2003, Wikimedia Commons, public domain (U.S. government work), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FEMA_-_7976_-_Photograph_by_Mark_Wolfe_taken_on_05-14-2003_in_Tennessee.jpg

Grand Rapids

Tags: Grand Rapids · News · City Council · Public Safety