The city of Cedar Park is set to begin renovations in July for its emergency dispatch center, which will move from the second floor of the police department headquarters to the first floor. The current communications center is “cramped” and has no room to add additional dispatchers, according to Nicholle Benedict, public safety emergency communications manager.

Renovations and Upgrades

The renovations will include new computer-aided dispatch consoles, which are specialized devices with multiple screens to allow dispatchers to monitor and manage numerous sources of information at once. The department’s new consoles will have eight screens, up from seven on the older models. The communications division currently includes 20 dispatchers, with a minimum of four on the job at any given time during the day and three at night.

Benedict said she expects the city to add more dispatchers in the future. “I think the main highlight here is that it gives us room to grow because the city is going to continue to grow and we’re going to need more public safety personnel and a place to put them so that they can effectively do their job,” Benedict said.

The funding for the renovations comes from the city’s 2026 budget, which includes $4 million for the communications center. The expected cost of the move is $3 million. The second-floor space currently occupied by the dispatch center will be taken over by the police department’s Criminal Investigations Division, which will expand its office space to help the department handle continued growth.

Original reporting: Community Impact — Austin — read the source article.