WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to allow the director of the county’s 911 center to seek a request for proposals to lease a new location for the emergency dispatching center.

RFPs are to be sent to 911 Director Tacy McDonough, 911 Howland Wilson Road NE, Warren, OH 44484, by 3 p.m. Oct. 10.

Commissioner Tony Bernard expressed hesitancy to support the resolution during Tuesday’s workshop because of the county not yet having identified a funding source for the move, which is projected to cost somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million. However, Bernard has since been convinced because the county may be able to pay for the center’s relocation without costing taxpayers any additional money by using a portion of a one-time MCO Sales Tax Transition Fund the county received in 2017.

The MCO account was established several years ago when the county received a refund because of previous overpayments to a managed care program.

“The current balance, as reported to the commissioners by my office on Sept. 11, is just over $3.8 million, rather than $4.5 million,” according to Trumbull County Auditor Martha Yoder.

The commissioners used $500,000 of MCO funds in 2023 and $500,000 earlier this year for the Valley Vision 2050 project, Yoder said.

Valley Vision 2050 is a partnership between the Western Reserve Port Authority, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Valley Partners, the Youngstown Foundation and the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber. Shortly after its formation, the group asked Trumbull and Mahoning County commissioners to provide $1 million each to help finance its projects.

The auditor reported that in 2024, the commissioners used $100,000 of MCO funds for hydrilla mitigation at Mosquito Lake and $30,000 for the Leavittsburg Dam study. Earlier this year, they transferred $100,000 from MCO to supplement the county’s general fund.

Yoder noted the $3.8 million in the MCO is part of the county’s reserve funds that state officials use to determine a county’s financial health. The county’s reserve fund has more than $14.8 million in it, which includes the MCO funds.

“My concern is the same as it was in January. I don’t want to borrow a bunch of money and put it on the backs of taxpayers,” Bernard said. “If we have a funding source that we can move 911 without taxing people, I’m all for that.”

After voting to allow McDonough to expand the search for a new location for the 911 center, Commissioner Denny Malloy said he still believes the second floor of the Trumbull County Combined Health District building in Cortland is the best site for it.

That building was chosen as the best site for the 911 center during a 3-1 vote by the 911 Review Board in April. At the time of that vote, the health department offered to provide the second floor of its building at no cost to the county, except for paying the utility costs for the entire building and shared maintenance costs.

However, a more recent proposal suggested the county pay what would be equivalent to a monthly rent. It is because of the proposed rent payment that the county must seek other bids because Ohio law does not allow a county to rent from a health department without first seeking other competitive bids.