The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plans to follow through with an earlier decision to close its contract call center in Lawrence next month, and the commission’s top official is asking for the public’s patience during the upcoming transition back to government service.

The center, opened by Vangent Inc. in March 2005 on a $5.8 million contract, will be shuttered Dec. 19 after commissioners deadlocked this week on whether to extend the contract for another three months, Commission Chairwoman Naomi C. Earp announced.

The decision likely will “result in disrupted service to the public,” Earp said this week, as the commission works on completing its necessary in-house matters: procurement, hiring, sites identification, change management – even determining which “technology solution” to use.

“We ask the public to be patient when contacting the EEOC during this transition period,” she said.

The move is not a surprise, given that commissioners voted in August to close the center that handles about 65,000 calls and 3,000 e-mails each month on behalf of the commission, which is the agency that enforces federal laws that prohibit workplace discrimination.

When the anticipated closing was announced in August, Vangent spokeswoman Eileen Rivera told the Journal-World that the center’s 62 employees likely would be given the opportunity to transfer onto other contracts handled at Vangent’s center in the East Hills Business Park.

The center’s toll-free number – (800) 669-6820 – will continue to function even after the center is closed, Earp said, with inquiries being routed to some of the commission’s 53 field offices nationwide.