County leaders next week will study the best way to combine 911 call-answering and dispatching services.

Representatives from the county and all cities and towns in Androscoggin County are expected to hire consultants to study 911 call-answering and dispatch needs after a meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 13.

County Commission Chairman Elmer Berry said he expects the study to begin soon after the meeting.

“I have no idea at this point when it will be done, but we’re going to move it along as rapidly as we can,” Berry said.

A new law designed to reduce the number of emergency 911 answering centers across the state will mean a consolidation of three into one in Androscoggin County. Call centers for Lisbon, Androscoggin County and Lewiston-Auburn will have to combine operations by October 2005.

That’s only part of the picture, Berry said. It doesn’t address dispatch centers that must act on the 911 calls.

In Androscoggin County, the Lisbon Police Department takes 911 calls and handles dispatching for Lisbon’s police officers and the Fire Department as well. Lewiston/Auburn 911 takes all of the calls and dispatches for Auburn and Lewiston police, fire and ambulances.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department takes emergency calls for the rest of the county and dispatches for the Sheriff’s Department; the Mechanic Falls and Sabattus police departments; and the Poland, Minot, Turner and Greene fire departments.

While the state isn’t forcing them to combine dispatch services, county and municipal officials are considering it.

“All we want to do is come up with the best system to serve the county,” Berry said. “To be frank, it really doesn’t matter who ends up providing the service as long as they have the system that can do the best job.”

Berry said the group has allocated about $10,000 to study all three call and dispatch centers and see how feasible it is to combine their services.