Menominee County seeks bids for new 911 dispatch consoles

Menominee County is asking vendors to bid on new dispatch consoles for its 911 Center, an upgrade that could affect the first minutes of emergency calls across the county. The solicitation, RFP 2026-01, was released Thursday, July 16, 2026, with Chief Deputy Justin Hoffman named as the contact person.

The county set a pre-bid conference for Monday, July 20, 2026, at 11 a.m., giving prospective bidders a chance to review the project before proposals are due. Hoffman is directing inquiries to jhoffman@co.menominee.wi.us, and the county is using its courthouse mailing address in Keshena, P.O. Box 190, W3269 Courthouse Lane, Keshena, WI 54135.

Dispatch consoles are the workstations used by call takers and emergency communicators who coordinate law enforcement, fire and EMS response. In Menominee County, that equipment sits at the center of a 24-hour operation. A dispatcher posting dated July 1, 2026, described the 911 Center as a full-time, round-the-clock service and listed pay at $21.37 to $25.53 an hour for the position.

The timing also comes as the county marks a milestone for the communications center itself. Menominee County 911 Central Dispatch was set to celebrate its 30th anniversary on March 1, 2026, underscoring how long the county has relied on the same core public-safety function now being modernized.

The county’s emergency infrastructure reaches beyond the console room. Menominee County’s official website lists a 9-1-1 Center contact page and an emergency info hotline at 715-799-7000, giving residents a direct county contact point when emergency information is needed. A hazardous materials plan revised in March 2025 also places emergency communications inside the county’s broader response framework.

For residents in outlying parts of Menominee County, the console upgrade matters because dispatch is where the county’s emergency response begins. The new purchase is not just a line item in county purchasing. It is part of the equipment that helps determine how clearly a call is handled, how quickly services are routed and how reliably the county can keep the 911 center running when weather, distance or equipment failure puts pressure on the system.