By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
Officials with the city of Flandreau and the new city-run ambulance service are expected to meet in the coming days with Moody County officials as early discussions begin over the future of local emergency dispatch services.
At the center of the conversation is whether the city, county and Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe could eventually move away from Moody County Dispatch in favor of a regionalized model based in Watertown.
The issue surfaced publicly at the May 18 Flandreau City Council meeting, where city leaders stressed no decisions have been made, but said the potential cost savings and expanded technology make the conversation worth having.
Currently, 911 calls placed anywhere in Moody County are routed through the county’s local dispatch center based out of the sheriff’s office, where dispatchers often know the families, roads and locations they’re serving.
“We have always looked at efficient ways to provide services,” City Administrator Cohl Turnquist said.
Turnquist said more communities are moving toward regional dispatch systems.
“With technology today, they can pinpoint me sitting right here at this desk and know what’s going on if I need help. It’s pretty amazing technology. So in looking at alternatives, with nothing in stone yet, this is all in very preliminary stages,” said Turnquist.
Mayor Dan Sutton said Watertown officials, including public safety leadership, recently visited Flandreau to outline how their dispatch center operates. He said the hope would be for the city, county and tribe to move together if the model makes sense.
“Really all they want is our 911 dollars that we’re already collecting, not additional funds. So there could be several hundred thousand dollars of savings for the three entities by going this way,” said Sutton.
City leaders said Watertown’s center currently handles dispatch for multiple agencies and offers technology not currently available locally, including advanced location tracking and video-to-911 capabilities. Other departments across the region and nation are also increasingly providing such services.
County officials have raised questions about interoperability, access to local data and whether routing calls outside the county could create delays or confusion during emergencies.
No formal action has been taken. Officials from the city may travel to Watertown in the coming days to get a firsthand look at how the regional system works.
Also heard at the May 18 city council meeting:
• The council approved nuisance abatement assessments of $51,500 for Rudy’s Welding and $15,858.94 for a property owned by Travis Kuhnel tied to recently removed unsafe structures.
• IMEG engineer Shane Waterman said the city’s utility improvement project remains on schedule, though residents near Broad Avenue may experience temporary access issues as road work ramps up.
• The National Guard received approval to use the Aquatic Center July 12 for a staff appreciation event.
• Council members reviewed a proposed golf cart ordinance that would require licensing, insurance and city permits. A formal ordinance is expected to return for future consideration.
• Upcoming community events include the EMS open house May 29, the fire department chislic feed May 30, the Casey Wilson Memorial Rodeo June 5-6, and Flandreau Fridays on June 19.
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