The Pierce County Board voted at a special meeting Dec. 1 on first reading to accept a $1 million grant to upgrade its 9-1-1 system.
On Nov. 6, the Department of Military Affairs, Office of …
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The Pierce County Board voted at a special meeting Dec. 1 on first reading to accept a $1 million grant to upgrade its 9-1-1 system.
On Nov. 6, the Department of Military Affairs, Office of Emergency Communications notified Pierce County that it had been awarded state funding through the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Grant Program to provide additional funding for equipment upgrades and advanced training necessary for Next Generation 911 implementation. Ninety percent, or $970,431.13 will come from the State, while the county is required to provide a 10% funding match of $107,825.68, for a total grant approval sum of $1,078,256.81.
Pierce County Emergency Management applied for the PSAP Grant, seeking grant funds to modernize and enhance its PSAP through a combination of technology upgrades and ongoing dispatcher professional development.
“We are incredibly excited about the PSAP Grant Award,” said Pierce County Emergency Management Director Brad Jorgenson. “The funds will be used to upgrade our radio and phone systems in the dispatch center. The funds will allow us to complete our Next Generation 911 project we've been working on for the past couple of years, implementing the latest technology available in 911. This year the competitive grant program had $18 million available to be awarded to PSAPs across the state, and Pierce County was incredibly fortunate to be awarded $1,078,256.81 of those funds.”
The board held a special meeting to approve the grant and authorize the required matching funds in order to meet the Dec. 8, 2025 acceptance deadline.
Since the county required match was not identified within the 2026 budget, in order to approve and accept the grant and identify a source of funds for the county's required match, it was necessary to amend the 2026. The county’s match will come from the Undesignated General Fund.
Three supervisors were not present at the meeting and were excused: Joanne Johnson, Daniel Puhrmann, and Barry Barringer.
EMS Committee
The board also heard a first reading of an ordinance to amend the composition of the EMS Committee in the Pierce County Code.
According to the meeting packet, Emergency Management Director Brad Jorgenson requested action be taken to amend the code to reflect the six agencies that provided EMS services in Pierce County: Allina Health EMS, Ellsworth Area Ambulance, Elmwood Area Ambulance, Maiden Rock - Plum City Ambulance, Red Wing Fire Department and Spring Valley Area Ambulance. Red Wing Fire Department currently provides ambulance services to the towns of Isabelle, Diamond Bluff, southern portion of Trenton, and the Village of Bay City.
Other business
