TEXARKANA -- A decision by the Arkansas 911 Board to streamline Public Safety Answering Points, or 911 centers, could provide Miller County and the city of Texarkana with a joint emergency dispatch center.
State board members agreed April 19 to give both the county and Texarkana 60 days to come up with a plan that could allow for both to use the county's Public Safety Answering Points system, said Carla Jenkins, Miller County judge's administrative assistant.
Miller County Judge Cathy Harrison said the 60 days will give both the city and the county time to possibly come up with a plan for joint Public Safety Answering Points operations.
The Arkansas side operates two 911 dispatch centers -- one at the Miller County sheriff's office on U.S. 71 South and another at Bi-State Justice Center -- that primarily fields calls within Texarkana city limits, and both centers serve as a back-up to each other.
The city, however, doesn't receive Arkansas-based 911 services since those services are already provided by the joint Public Safety Answering Points that the city shares with Texarkana, Texas, and Bowie County, Texas, through the Ark-Tex Council of Governments at the Bi-State Justice Center.
The state, acting on the 2019 Arkansas Public Safety Act, initially looked at having Miller County forgo its 911 call center and join the one operated at Bi-State because the majority of county residents live in the city.
Miller County has about 43,572 residents, with about 29,900 living inside the city limits.
Miller County and the city of Texarkana receive annual operating funds from the Arkansas 911 Board. Miller County receives about $212,000, and the city gets about $400,000. But the funds could be consolidated at the end of 60 days depending on what plan both the city and the county come up with by June 20.
The county also contributes $214,000 to fully fund and operate its dispatch center.