City signs on to county 911 dispatch plan
But insists funding and governance issues must be resolved within two years
By RICHARD HANNERS / Whitefish Pilot
The city of Whitefish has signed on to the county's idea for a consolidated 911 dispatch center — sort of.
At their July 21 meeting, the Whitefish City Council unanimously approved a resolution of intent saying that the city was willing to proceed with full consolidation so long as funding and governance issues are resolved through a joint committee within two years.
The Kalispell City Council approved a similar measure the very same night by a 7-2 vote. Like Whitefish, Kalispell was concerned about funding and governance, especially double taxation for city residents who are also treated as county residents.
"We need to start somewhere in good faith," mayor Mike Jenson told the Whitefish council, noting that it could cost the city about $500,000 to go it alone.
In a June 16 letter to Jenson, the Flathead County Commissioners agreed to form a committee comprised of one commissioner and the mayor of each city, or a designated councilor, to resolve funding and governance issues within two years.
At the council's July 21 meeting, however, councilor Nick Palmer said he considered the arrangement "double dipping." He wanted to know how soon the council needed to make a decision and if Whitefish could pull out at a later date.
Councilor Turner Askew, who sits on the 911 Administrative Board, said the city needs to get on board while the dispatch center is being designed, but the city could pull out later. He said funding for the building will come from a Department of Homeland Security grant and a bond election.
The need for a consolidated 911 dispatch system is not in dispute and was clearly spelled out in the council's Jan. 7 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.
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.
On July 8, CTA Architects Engineers told the 911 Administrative Board a 6,000-square-foot dispatch center and separate equipment building could cost $2.2 million to $2.9 million. The board has suggested the county and the cities present a public bond to the voters this fall.
A site has also been selected — on state school trust land just south of the new Flathead National Forest Supervisor's Office building, near Glacier High School.
Phased consolidation is slated to begin in June 2009, with the consolidated dispatch system up and running in the new building by December 2009, according to Mark Peck, the county's emergency services director.