Bardstown City Council hears additional options for 911 dispatch services

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Thursday, May 5, 2016, 11:40 p.m. — The Bardstown City Council discussed the city’s options for dispatching its fire and police departments at its working session Tuesday.

Larry Green, the city’s personnel director, presents the Bardstown City Council with a timeline of recent developments related to the joint city-county 911 dispatch center.

Larry Green, the city’s personnel director, presented the council with a lengthy timeline of the history of the city and the dispatch center’s board since the city put the board on notice in September 2014 it was cancelling the agreement governing the joint city-county dispatch board.

Green explained that the dispatch board’s budget figures regarding the city’s contribution had changed several times, starting at $258,000 in March, which was lowered to $170,000 before Green and the council received an email from Judge-Executive Dean Watts late Tuesday afternoon that stated the city’s estimated dispatch contribution at $154,000.

Green told the council the decision to keep secret the mayor’s decision to ask for a dispatching proposal from the Kentucky State Police was a deliberate effort to keep county government out of the process.

“We agreed — those of us around city hall — we would not publicize we were asking KSP for a quote on dispatch services because as soon we did, [Judge-Executive Dean Watts] would start lobbying the city council and public against such a move,” he said.

Green said Watts got involved with the city’s occupational tax discussions in the past arguing against raising the tax, and more recently during last year’s annexation efforts.

Green said the city had to begin looking for dispatch options to determine how to budget for those expenses.

The county has proposed to shift landline 911 fees to garbage bills in order to stabilize revenues to fund the 911 dispatch services, a move Green said would not change the issue of city residents being charged twice for the service.

The 911 fees on landlines and cell phones do not raise enough revenue to pay the entire cost of operating the dispatch center. The City of Bardstown and Nelson Fiscal Court pay the costs for 911 dispatching that the 911 fees do not cover. The city pays 40 percent and county government paying the remaining 60 percent of that shortfall.

City Attorney Tim Butler

Even if the 911 fees are placed on garbage bills, it won’t cover the entire costs of the dispatch center, Green explained. The move also won’t eliminate the problem of city residents being asked to pay twice of 911 dispatch services.

According to Green, city residents pay county taxes, which are used to help finance the dispatch center. City taxpayers also pay city taxes, which are also used to financially support the dispatch center. In the end, city residents contribute more than county residents do — which Green said goes back to the inssue of fairness to city residents.

“It’s telling that once again, the county is depending on city taxpayers paying more than their share in order to keep raising taxes anymore than they have to in the county,” he said.

DISPATCH OPTIONS. Green told the council there are only two options for dispatch services outside the existing dispatch center. The first option is to have the Kentucky State Police do the dispatching at a cost of $157,000 a year.

KSP dispatching would operate similar to how it is done now, he said.

The second option is for the city to set up its own dispatching center, which would cost about $600,000 to equip, not including the cost of personnel.

COUNCIL MIXED. Not all of the council members were convinced the city needs to withdraw from the existing dispatch arrangement with county government.

Councilman Francis Lydian recommended members of the council meet with Nelson Fiscal Court magistrates to talk about the issue face-to-face. The possibility of delays transferring 911 calls was a problem he said may arise with having some dispatch calls coming from Elizabethtown, he said. “I think we should keep it local, that’s my recommendation.”

Green said KSP would receive 911 calls for Nelson County EMS and the county fire departments, and then seamlessly transfer those calls to the local dispatch center.

Councilman Fred Hagan

Councilman Fred Hagan said he didn’t favor a meeting between the council and magistrates. The negotiations should be left to those with more knowledge about dispatching, he said.

Councilman Roland Williams suggested the use of mediator to try to work out the differences between the city and county in regard to dispatch services.

Councilman Bobby Simpson said the lowered estimates on the city’s contribution to dispatch indicate that the county government is interested in making the joint relationship work.

“It looks like to me we need to get back with the judge and magistrates and try a discussion on it,” he said.

For budgetary purposes, Hagan suggested the city plan on a higher number for dispatch services and then it can amend it to whatever the lower number may be once a decision is reached.

City Attorney Tim Butler said a concern with the existing dispatch agreement is that the city pays 40 percent of a number that is variable. At the same time, the city cannot control the dispatch board spending. Butler said the city’s contribution should be a finite number, and if there’s need revise it, it would be necessary for the council to agree on the changes.

The council took no action.

TRAVEL POLICY. The council briefly discussed a policy governing city council members travel reimbursements.

Councilman Fred Hagan recommended a simple policy with a line item in the budget. He suggested that approved expenses would be published in the next meeting’s minutes to allow the public to know the council’s expenses.

Hagan suggested that a draft policy should be available for review and approval prior to the passage of the city’s budget.

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