Disagreements continue over 911 center

City sees need to move forward but wants assurances on funding and governance

By RICHARD HANNERS/Whitefish Pilot

Sharp disagreements on how Flathead County should proceed with consolidating its 911 emergency dispatch center were aired during the Whitefish City Council's June 2 meeting.

But recognizing the need to move forward in order to secure valuable grant money, the council and city staff reached consensus on following the county's plan with the understanding that budget and governance issues still needed to be ironed out.

The county's 911 dispatch system currently gets 25 cents a month charged to every phone bill through the state's Emergency Telephone System Act. That amounts to about $500,000 of the estimated $2.1 million operating budget after consolidation.

The rest of the budget would be divided proportionally according to population, as spelled out in the 1999 interlocal agreement between the county and the three cities. Whitefish's share is currently about 9 percent.

The 911 board has so far never presented the budget to Whitefish for approval, and consequently Whitefish "has not had the opportunity to pay its share," said Mark Peck, the county's emergency services director.

City manager Gary Marks has expressed frustration at several city council meetings about the need for talks between Whitefish and the county over 911 consolidation.

He was particularly concerned with the 911 board's June 2 report, which said each city "will be expected to pay according to the interlocal agreement on the next budget cycle" or "be prepared to handle its own dispatching."

"This violates the interlocal agreement, which says all parties must agree," Marks said.

He said it's city policy that Whitefish taxpayers should not pay twice, but there's been no response from the county after the council approved a resolution detailing the city's position in January.

The need for a consolidated 911 dispatch system is not in dispute and is clearly spelled out in the resolution. Consolidation will mean fire, ambulance and law enforcement calls will be handled by the same dispatch center, preventing dangerous delays and eliminating unnecessary duplication and inefficient use of tax dollars.

But the city's resolution clearly states that "taxpayers should pay only once for 911 emergency service," regardless of whether they live in the city or in the county.

Furthermore, the resolution calls for shared governance, with the county and the three cities being equal and co-dependent. The 1999 interlocal agreement established a 13-member administrative board, but Whitefish has only two members — councilor Turner Askew and police chief Bill Dial. The county has five members, including the sheriff, who can only vote to break a tied vote.

The "cold hard fact" is that an interlocal agreement is currently in place, Peck told the council. While "one faction" calls for a 10- or 11-mill levy countywide, which might be turned down by voters, the "rationale" of the 911 board is that the cities need a higher level of service and have their own police, so it's OK to "double tax" them.

Councilor Nick Palmer asked whether the city's two representatives on the 911 board support the city's resolution, and Askew responded.

"If you think we're frustrated, the county is, too," he said. "We're looking at a million dollar grant that could be lost if we don't move forward."

The 911 board's timeline calls for putting a construction bond to the voters this November. A site on school trust land near Glacier High School has been selected for a new 6,000-square-foot dispatch center costing $2.9 million.

Phased consolidation is slated to begin in June 2009, with the consolidated dispatch system up and running in the new building by December 2009.

A preliminary draft estimates the consolidated system's operational cost at $2.1 million per year, of which about three-quarters will go to paying 30 full-time employees. Peck said the 911 board doesn't expect Whitefish to pay its 9 percent share until fiscal year 2009-2010, by which time the system will consolidated.

The 911 board estimates Whitefish could save about $90,000 a year by eliminating its dispatchers, but Marks noted that dispatchers also perform administrative duties.

Dial said going to a consolidated system "is a wash" in terms of money, but "the bottom line is we need to do something" because city dispatch equipment needs to be replaced.

"We need to either get on or get off," Dial told the council.

Noting the importance of safety and obtaining the grant money for essential dispatch equipment, mayor Mike Jenson suggested the city consider signing on for now until an equitable funding mechanism and shared governance system could be established.

Marks and councilor Nancy Woodruff agreed with the idea. Mark said he wanted something in writing, but Peck wanted to know what kind of process is needed to set that up.

"That's why we need dialogue with the 911 board," Marks said.