Emergency Communications Advisory Committee

The State of Texas does not have a single agency that has authority over the 514 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP’s) in place across the State.  Instead the PSAP’s can be grouped by 9-1-1 Entity type as follows:

Texas 9-1-1 Alliance - PSAPs administered by a Emergency Communications District (ECD).

Municipal Emergency Communication District Association (MECDA) -  PSAPs administered by Home Rule Municipality’s.

Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) - PSAPs administered by Regional Planning Commissions (RPC) under the oversight and funding authority of the Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC).

Each organization is unique in its representative population, geography, size, funding mechanisms, and governance. In order to bring a “single voice” to this diverse group of 9-1-1 entity’s in Texas, the Emergency Communications Advisory Committee was formed.   Its members include:

Chairperson - Kelli Merriweather - CSEC Executive Director

Two Representatives from the 9-1-1 Alliance:

James D. Goerke – Texas 9-1-1 Alliance

Bill Buchholtz – Bexar Metro ECD

Two Representatives from MECDA:

Melisssa Tutton – City of Plano

Douglas (Doug) Forsythe – City of Dallas

Two Representatives from TARC:

Pete De La Cruz – Southeast Texas RPC

Christy Williams – North Central Texas COG