City council reviews draft 911 interlocal agreement at working session

Councilman Fred Hagan reads a draft 911 interlocal agreement while City Attorney Tim Butler explains it section by section.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, 11:30 p.m. — City Attorney Tim Butler delivered on his promise to bring a draft of a 911 agreement for review by the Bardstown City Council at its working session Tuesday

The agreement incorporates some aspects of the proposed 911 agreement Judge Executive Dean Watts presented to Nelson Fiscal Court last month, including a provision to create a seven-member board to oversee the E-911 Dispatch operations.

City Attorney Tim Butler reviews the draft 911 interlocal agreement at Tuesday’s Bardstown City Council working session.

But what is likely to raise the eyebrows of those in county government is the agreement’s proposed funding mix.

According to the proposal, the 911 dispatch operations would be funded by the various 911 fees collected as well other funds like grants. Any funding shortfall not covered by these revenues would be covered by Nelson Fiscal Court, along with the City of Bardstown’s annual contribution of $22,800.

Butler said the city’s contribution is based on the estimate Kentucky State Police gave earlier this year to do the city’s dispatching — $157,200 — minus $134,400, which represents the estimated 911 fees the city can collect on city property tax bills.

He stressed the importance of making the city’s 911 contribution a fixed number. At present, the city and county share the dispatch costs not covered by 911 fees, with the city paying 40 percent and the county 60 percent of those extra costs.

Councilman Francis Lydian stressed the importance of compromising on costs, noting that the city police and fire departments make up 52 percent of the dispatched calls for service in the city limits. “I have no problem if the city is paying more money, my concern is saving someone’s life,” he said. “That’s more important than that dollar bill.”

“You’re making a fairly effective argument for Nelson County right now,” Butler told Lydian.

As far as how much the city agrees to pay for dispatching services, Butler said that was up to the council to decide, adding that he was starting out like low knowing the figure would likely change.

“If you vote to override me, that’s fine, but I would never recommend with this agreement to [agree to pay] 40 percent,” he said.

Butler said the agreement between the city and county isn’t broken. “It just needs to be treated as a business proposition.”

HIRING. The dispatch board will approve hiring of all employees with the exception of the dispatch director, who will serve at the discretion of the county judge and Bardstown mayor. As written, the agreement would require existing 911 Dispatch Director Debbie Carter to reapply for her job. The dispatch board will make recommendations but the mayor and judge will have the final say.

BUDGET. The proposal creates a budget process that keeps all participating agencies informed of any planned projects or system improvements. The city and county governments review and approve the dispatch budget. If a budget acceptable to both cannot be prepared by the dispatch board, the mayor and judge executive will prepare a budget binding on the dispatch board. If the mayor and judge executive fail, the interlocal agreement will be considered terminated.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. The agreement allows the city or county to borrow money separately for dispatch service capital improvements without obligating the other government to help repay that debt.

The agreement gives both parties the opportunity to cancel the agreement with six months notice.

The dispatch board chairman would change annually, with the mayor appointing the chairman in even years, and the judge executive in odd years.

While introducing the agreement, Butler said in his opinion, the agreement should be considered temporary due to future costs of upgrades in order for the dispatch center to provide “next generation” dispatch service.

“The trend is regional dispatch centers, generally through the Kentucky State Police,” Butler said. The move to regional centers is being driven by the high costs of providing dispatch services.

Butler said he would send the proposal to County Attorney Matthew Hite on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

911 FEE ORDINANCE. Butler told the council that he will be presenting an ordinance that mirrors the one Nelson Fiscal Court recently passed that establishes a $24 911 fee on property tax bills for occupied properties. The ordinance will give the city the right to use those fees in whatever method is necessary for its 911 services.

NEXT UP. The council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016 in the council chambers adjacent to the Rec Center on Xavier Drive.

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