Legislation now awaiting the governor’s signature establishes the legal groundwork to create the state’s first regional emergency dispatch center to be managed by a group of municipalities.

First introduced by state Sen. Paul Formica, “An act concerning mutual consolidation of dispatch facilities…” allows the towns of East Lyme, Waterford and New London to form a “regional dispatch authority,” with powers to hire, sign contracts, purchase property, create bylaws and contract with other towns for dispatch services.

The bill received overwhelming approval by both the House and Senate.

New London Development and Planning Director Tammy Daugherty, who has worked for several years on the project, said the legislation was needed to clear up the labor issues that come with employees from three municipalities working under the same roof.

Daugherty said the vision is for a stand-alone entity controlled by a governing body established by all involved municipalities, as opposed to a consolidated dispatch center run by a private entity. The closest thing in Connecticut is the governing structure established by the dozen towns that are members of the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resource Recovery Authority, which manages waste issues.

Because of available state grant funds, Daugherty said she expects a regional facility to not only create efficiencies and save money in the long run but also to allow for upgrades to technology not readily available or fiscally feasible to any one individual town.

The immediate advantage is a better communication system that would benefit public safety, Daugherty said.

“We really wanted to be able to do this right,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty said once the measure is signed by the governor, she expects a working group composed of members of all three towns to reconvene. The group would gauge the continued interest of all involved municipalities and investigate costs.

“It’s not fair to expect legislative bodies of each of the communities to invest in a program blindly,” she said. “We all need to know what it’s going to cost. “

A study conducted in 2014 recommended the establishment of the New London County Regional Communications Center at Waterford’s existing facility with preliminary estimates of $425,000 for needed technology upgrades, $54,000 annual maintenance. Up to $750,000 in grants are available from the state, along with yearly subsidies offered for the regionalization effort.

Waterford Police Acting Police Chief Brett Mahoney, also involved in the planning, said the working group has taken a “well-rounded approach” to plan for the future.

“Will it happen? I don’t know,” Mahoney said, “but this is another step towards that possibility.”

East Lyme First Selectman Mark Nickerson, who in March announced the town had no plans to move local dispatch out of town, was not immediately available for comment.

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