Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced Thursday the Madison City Attorney’s office will file a temporary restraining order to prevent Dane County from following through with changes to the county’s 911 dispatch system.

Surrounded by leaders of other Dane County communities including Waunakee, Middleton and Oregon, Cieslewicz said at a press conference he strongly opposes County Executive Kathleen Falk’s proposal to automate and charge the city of Madison for parking enforcement dispatch calls.

Falk announced the changes, which will be effective this Saturday, on Tuesday.

Cieslewicz said Falk has no authority to ‘unilaterally’ propose policies that would change the 911 system. He added the new changes to the system will place a burden on Madison taxpayers.

Cieslewicz added the public has not had enough time to process the changes.

“My taxpayers, who also pay county taxes, would pay for parking dispatch in every other community but be charged again for that service in their own community,” Cieslewicz said.

Cieslewicz added the city is fighting to maintain its 22 emergency channels as Madison and Dane County continue to grow.

“We don’t want to give up any of that real estate,” Cieslewicz said. “Our major issue with the county right now is preserving the number of channels we have.”

Middleton Mayor Kurt Sonnentag, representing the Dane County Cities and Villages Association, said all of Dane County’s cities and villages support Madison’s current anti-county position.

“Today, this affects the City of Madison and its taxpayers,” Sonnentag said. “But next, it could be the cities and villages that I represent. We share the concerns of Madison because this is a slippery slope.”

Madison Chief of Police Noble Wray, who was in Washington, D.C. for a conference at the time of the press meeting, said in a statement he thinks the county’s proposals could hurt the progress of Dane County’s 911 system.

“From a public safety perspective it appears we are taking a step backward, when we all should really be working together to build a strong, centralized dispatch center,” Wray said in the statement.

At a meeting Thursday night, members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors questioned both representatives from Cieslewicz’s office and 911 Coordinator John Dejung on the changes to the 911 system.

Supervisor Dianne Hesselbein, District 9, said additional funds should be added to the county’s current 911 budget to prepare for major events comparable to the Stoughton tornado or the Sterling Hall bombing.

Falk’s office could not be reached for comment at press time.