911 calls akways went to the county ...
Well, that depends on where you live. I suspect In Harris County, Texas you are kinda correct. In most areas, the 911 call goes to a call center, then the 911 operator transfers it to the local police, fire or rescue. So if there is a POlice Dept. in these small towns, the call is transferred to them. If no Police Dept., Sheriff’s office gets the call.
Something unrelated I have recently been made aware of is, if you use a cell phone to call 911 that call may or may not go to the 911 center in your county but to a neighboring county. It depends on the cell tower and where it pings to.
A delay that could be disastrous.