FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- After years of debate over whether to consolidate their emergency dispatch services, Fayetteville and Cumberland County officials agreed Thursday afternoon to explore the possibility of creating a joint 911 center.

Both agencies met for more than two hours to discuss the proposal, marking renewed progress in a conversation that has spanned nearly two decades. They plan to reconvene in January after newly elected city council members are sworn in.

"I'm positive we will come out of this with a solution because we are on record to do this in a joint operation format," Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said.

Since 2007, the two governments have made three unsuccessful attempts to combine their 911 centers, primarily due to disagreements over governance and oper

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