Rockland has agreed to take over the emergency dispatch service for Knox County seven months after that service closed due to a staffing shortage.
The Rockland City Council voted unanimously Monday to take over management of the Knox County Regional Communications Center, which is still trying to staff back up and reopen after the closure in August, according to the Courier-Gazette. Since then, 911 calls in Knox County have been routed to Waldo County dispatchers.
Officials at the Rockland meeting expressed concern over the interim arrangement, which local agencies have said is leading to wait times. In a previous meeting on March 6, Fire Chief Chris Whytock said that “the citizens of Rockland are getting screwed,” the Courier-Gazette reported.
Councilors authorized the city manager to send a letter to the Knox County Commission stating its intent to manage the dispatch center, which will stay in the same facility and be led by Police Chief Tim Carroll and Whytock, according to the Courier-Gazette.