Upcoming Carroll County 911 District Office
HUNTINGDON Tenn. — There’s a new upcoming 911 District Office underway in Carroll County. This move essentially makes the 911 center the hub for everything including training, access control, administrative offices, a board room to host meetings, and dispatch will have their own space. The district itself has employed two people including a director and a secretary, and there are currently 10 dispatchers which currently serve under the Sheriff’s Department, but are welcome to work in the new facility.
“Carroll County 911 center receives every call that’s within our county. Those dispatchers also dispatch every 911 call that is received within our county, so it doesn’t matter where you live in our county. If you are in the city limits of Huntingdon, and McKenzie those dispatchers are dispatching those calls. They are dispatching all ambulance calls, every fire call, every law enforcement call,” said Kristy Meggs, Carroll County 911 Director.
We spoke with a few Huntingdon residents about their thoughts on the new 911 center, and most tell us it’s been quite the talk of the town. No one knew what this place was going to be. It’s adjacent to the Baptist Memorial Hospital, and it’s going to be able to serve the community in a greater capacity.
“We built the building for growth. It is currently being built for a training facility for any area local governments or non-profits to use. We hope that increases our training at the 911 center. We can begin hosting more training here,” said Kristy Meggs, Carroll County 911 Director.
Districts across the state are their own governmental entities and they are not funded by the city or the county. The dollar and fifty cents that most cellphone users pay on their bill goes to the Department of Revenue, and it is funneled back out to the 911 districts; so it is not funded by taxes it’s just the fee. Districts save, invest, and use the interest to help fund expansion projects.
“As we stand here it is built to be the the backup 911 center, but as we move forward we hope that we can move the dispatchers to a new facility,” said Kristy Meggs, Carroll County 911 Director.
As of now, plans temporarily move their original 911 District Office to the old TVA Employees Credit Union Building on East Main street.
“We are hoping to be in by April. That’s our goal…the 1st of April,” said Kristy Meggs, Carroll County 911 Director.
911 director Meggs tells us the project has been in the works for more than a decade and was built with intentional outreach, support, service, and advancement for emergency management.
