Douglas County should consider turning to a Kansas City-area cooperative for help enhancing dispatch services for users of wireless phones, a committee has decided.

The county’s 911 Board agreed Tuesday to recommend that the county apply for membership in the Mid-America Regional Council’s 911 program, a network of 47 dispatch centers in eight counties, including Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth in Kansas.

By joining the network, the county’s Emergency Communications Center would be upgraded and connected to equipment that automatically would provide dispatchers with the locations and telephone numbers of people calling for help using wireless phones.

The county’s center currently has such capabilities only for calls coming in from land-line phones.

The county has considered installing the upgraded equipment on its own, but the 911 Board wants to check out the council’s terms to see if the cooperative could provide the service better, faster and cheaper.

“It’s really just a start in our ongoing efforts to have a Douglas County wireless enhanced 911 (system),” said Sheriff Rick Trapp, chairman of the 911 Board, which recommends financing for the county’s dispatch center. “We’re committed to moving forward on the wireless E-911 system. However, we want to make sure we get the best system for the people at the appropriate cost.”

Jim Denney, the county’s emergency communications director, has estimated that joining the council could cost the county about $15,000 or $16,000 a month, up from the $10,000 or $11,000 the county now pays to run its center without enhanced services for wireless calls. Equipment upgrades could cost $240,000 more.

By making a formal application to join the council’s program, the county would receive cost estimates and equipment requirements, Trapp said. The application would not be a commitment to join, but instead suggest a willingness to explore options.

“Over the long run it could be the most cost-effective way to go, and at the same time allow us to obtain and work with the best equipment possible,” said Trapp, who noted that the council’s experience with other centers would be a plus. “Those things look very good, but we’re reserving judgment until we get more information.”

The county charges users of land-line phones 75 cents a month to finance operations of the dispatch center. Users of wireless phones pay no such fees.

Nearly half of all calls coming into the dispatch center come from wireless phones, Denney said.