Commissioners vote to update 911 system

WAXAHACHIE – It was a quick 37-minute Commissioner’s Court meeting last week as 2025 began.

Commissioners unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in support of a 911 update system to identify unsuccessful callers during disasters and mass calling event, as well as to issue timely alerts to public officials, policymakers and first responders.

A workshop was presented on this item agenda in December.

The resolution stated on Dec. 10, 2024, a former mayor of Ovilla, Leo Wrobel, appeared at Commissioners Court to explain how 911 outages have occurred throughout the United States and in some cases have left municipalities unprepared.

The Federal Communications Commission  recently issued more than $100 million in fines to service providers for miscarried 911 calls. It had been stated in the spring of last year there was an overall obvious observation that residents around the country have experienced 911 emergency calls that do not go through.

The resolution also pointed out the FCC had already begun the process of investigating 911 outages in some cities around the country.  

Wrobel described in the workshop how to identify 911 callers who are not able to get through due to overloaded phone lines. It was also discussed how to alert public officials and policymakers in emergency situations as well.

The approved resolution was a nod by the commissioners to endorse the concept of a 911 telephone emergency enhancement in order to give 911 centers the ability to identify callers who have an emergency and can’t get help on the emergency line.

Commissioner Randy Stinson, pct. 1, the court’s representative on the 911 team at the North Central Texas Council of Government, which is an entity has also expressed interest in Wrobel’s 911 emergency enhancement, said the program was good. 

“It is sort of a check all,” Stinson said. “You don’t know how many calls get dropped, but COG does keep up with that and we are graded as counties as to how many calls that are dropped and how many inefficiencies we have.”
Ellis County Judge Todd Little confirmed the City of Ovilla had approved the resolution at the city council level, and he said Commissioners Court would be the second to do so in Ellis County.