Milton Select Board Unanimously Backs $12.5 Million Regional Dispatch Grant With Quincy

MILTON -- April 14, 2026, Milton Select Board approves $12.5 million regional dispatch grant application with Quincy. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize the grant application and an inter-municipal agreement with the city of Quincy for a joint public safety dispatch center, with Town Administrator Nick Milano describing the package as roughly $11 million in equipment and infrastructure upgrades plus salary funding, anchored by a $2.9 million Motorola radio infrastructure grant. Fire Chief John Madden called the arrangement a "no-brainer" for a department that has operated without a real dispatch system since the 1970s, and said a standalone contract with Norfolk County Control would cost $250,000 to $300,000 annually. Outgoing member Richard Wells, a former member of the state's interoperability committee, cautioned that long-term costs could rise if state operating support grants, projected at $2.4 million annually in year five, shrink as more regional centers compete for the same pool. Milton may exit the agreement with 60 days' notice at any point, including before the center takes a live call. The board also voted unanimously to release the East Milton Fire Station 2 RFP and, sitting as trustees of the Governor Stoughton Trust, withdrew the Town Farm RFP after the sole respondent could not commit to funding road infrastructure improvements directly.