911 pact wins approval—with a $57,000 annual subsidy and a call-speed check

Chattahoochee Hills City Council unanimously approved its 911 emergency-communications agreement with Fulton County on Nov. 5, according to the city’s draft minutes. The agreement text calls for a $57,000 annual city subsidy for call reception and public-safety dispatch.⁠[1][2]

The city’s vote resolves the pending council decision described in our October preview. The record remains labeled draft minutes; it establishes council approval, not whether the agreement has been signed.⁠[1][3]

The agreement sets an initial Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2027 term, followed by three automatic annual renewals through the end of 2030. The $57,000 subsidy is in addition to monthly 911 charges the county may collect from wired and wireless telephone subscribers served by its system.⁠[2]

For callers, the service benchmark concerns answering the phone—not how quickly emergency crews arrive. The text sets an objective of an “average fifteen (15) second call answer time” for emergency calls from the city “90% of the time.” It allows exceptions for unpredictable system overload, declared disasters and disruptions in voice or data transmission.⁠[2]

To check that service, Fulton’s emergency-services director must deliver monthly reports to the city administrator showing call volume, whether calls involved police, fire or EMS, and answer speed for calls originating in Chattahoochee Hills. Those are reporting requirements, not evidence that the answer-time objective is being met.⁠[2]

The subsidy does not buy dedicated city call-takers. The agreement says Fulton operates a consolidated center whose equipment sends calls from anywhere in the county to the first available call-taker.⁠[2]

The city also retains an exit: it may terminate the agreement on 60 days’ notice if it decides to provide emergency communications itself or through another arrangement.⁠[2]