“It’s a very important building for us with our first responders and law enforcement who use it for our dispatch center,” said Tyler Small, assistant Montgomery County Administrator. “It’s very important for us to maintain local ownership as opposed to an owner out of state and a private investment firm.”
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The sale is expected to close 60 to 90 days following approval by county commissioners, Small said.
The center dispatches police and fire calls for Clayton, Dayton, Germantown, Miami Twp., Miamisburg, Trotwood, Washington Twp. and several other local communities. The facility also handles calls for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which has 79 employees based at the dispatch center, according to the office.
In 2008, the county signed a 20-year lease with then-owner the U.S. Department of Energy. Jenn Skyline purchased the building in February 2018 for $5.2 million. No longer exempt from property taxes with the sale to Jenn Skyline, the county’s rent went up to roughly $650,000 a year, said John Parks, Montgomery County’s budget director.
Parks said the county will issue a 20-year revenue bond out of its own treasury that is expected to bring the annual principal and interest cost to no more than $400,000 annually.
“We are hoping to actually lower the rent,” Parks said.
The building’s earthquake resistant design, physical security structures, its distance away from highways and railways, and elevation that allows streamlined communications without interference make it ideal for an emergency dispatch center, Small said.
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Small said the county has invested about $10 million since 2008 in equipment and the building’s envelope. The current owner recently replaced the roof.
About 28,000 square feet, slightly more than half the building’s space, is used by the dispatch center. Possible new tenants have been approached, which could bring down costs more, but the county must be discerning, Small said.
“We have to be careful with what tenants we do put in there based on the type of building it is,” he said. “There’s a certain high level of security there based on the building being so important to what we do with first responders and law enforcement.”
In 2018, the Regional Dispatch Center provided service for 16 law enforcement agencies and 10 fire departments representing 62% of Montgomery County’s population, according to the sheriff’s office. Last year, dispatches for police services included 482,127 incidents and 75,174 incidents for fire and medical assistance. Personnel received 657,900 telephone calls while making 209,632 duty related calls from the center. The center added texting service in 2015 and received 801 during 2018, according to county records.
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