City of Frankfort Approves Update to 35-Year-Old 911 Agreement

The City of Frankfort and Franklin County are moving to overhaul a 911 services agreement that hasn’t been touched since 1991—the same year Terminator 2: Judgment Day was number one at the box office and Nirvana’s Nevermind popularized grunge. This 35-year-old interlocal cooperation agreement, which governs how emergency calls are handled for the region, is finally being modernized to reflect current laws and a more equitable funding structure.

At its core, this is a story about who pays for the lifeline that connects citizens to first responders. For decades, the city has carried the majority of the financial burden. Under the new terms approved by the city commission, that burden will shift toward the county, moving from a 75/25 split to a 55/45 divide starting July 1.

A funding shift for emergency services

For years, the financial architecture of the Frankfort-Franklin County Emergency 911 Dispatch Center has relied on a combination of state Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) fees and a $1 per month landline fee. While those revenues help, they don’t cover everything. The remaining costs have historically been split with the city paying 75% and the county paying 25%.

The updated agreement maintains the old 75/25 split for a short transition period, but the long-term goal is a more balanced partnership. By shifting to a 55% city and 45% county split, the city reduces its overhead while the county takes on a larger share of the operational costs for a service that benefits all residents, regardless of whether they live within city limits.

Funding Period	City Contribution	County Contribution
Current / Transition	75%	25%
Post-July 1	55%	45%

The creation of a joint oversight board

Beyond the money, the city is introducing a formal layer of governance to ensure the system doesn’t fall behind for another three decades. City Manager Jason Monroe noted that the update establishes an advisory board designed to bring fresh ideas and operational improvements to both the city and county governments.

This new Frankfort-Franklin County Emergency Communications Service Board will consist of seven voting members and three non-voting ex-officio members. The voting block is a cross-section of public safety leadership, including:

The sheriff or a designee from the FCSO
The chief of police or a designee
A joint appointment from the mayor and judge-executive (two-year terms up to three consecutive terms)
One city commissioner and one magistrate
The city fire chief or a designee and the county fire chief or a designee

The mayor, the judge-executive, and the director of Emergency Management will serve as non-voting members. This board isn’t just a talking shop; it’s tasked with the heavy lifting of public safety administration. They will be responsible for adopting annual budgets, filing quarterly financial statements, and producing annual reports that detail exactly how 911 services are being utilized by residents.

Who actually runs the dispatch?

While the funding and oversight are becoming a joint effort, the day-to-day operational control remains centralized. The updated agreement explicitly states that the city will maintain the operation of the 911 service. This means the city is the entity responsible for the management, including the employment, training, and supervision of 911 personnel and the 911 director.

The city’s responsibilities under the new deal are extensive. They are tasked with planning for catastrophic events, coordinating emergency services, maintaining equipment, and ensuring compliance with all statutes governing Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Essentially, the city manages the engine, while the new joint board helps steer the direction and approves the fuel budget.

“Most of our interlocals will not go past 20 years or should not. That’s kind of a general thing,” City Solicitor Laura Milam told the board Monday, adding that the interlocal act and requirements have changed.

The risk of a stalemate

The city commission has already signaled its approval with a unanimous 5-0 vote. However, the agreement is not yet law. The next step is for the Franklin County Fiscal Court to review and approve the terms. This creates a potential point of failure: if the county decides the new funding split or the board structure is unacceptable, the entire update could stall.

When Commissioner Leesa Unger asked what would happen if the county opted out, the answer was simple but stark. City Solicitor Laura Milam explained that the existing 1991 agreement would simply continue to exist. There would be no new committee, no updated funding split, and the city would continue to shoulder the 75% financial burden under terms written in the era of 16-bit gaming.

For the residents of Frankfort and Franklin County, the stakes are invisible until they need a dispatcher. The shift toward a modern, jointly funded, and professionally overseen board is an attempt to ensure that the technology and personnel answering the call in 2026 are not being governed by the logic of 1991.