County, cities search for 911 center funding

How to pay for the Flathead County consolidated 911 dispatch center resurfaced as a major issue this week when the county and its incorporated cities met to revise the county’s 911 interlocal agreement.

Columbia Falls City Manager Susan Nicosia told the room Monday night during a council quorum that she was looking for feedback on proposed changes to the 2009 document.

“We were no longer operating according to this interlocal agreement, so we wanted to do some housekeeping to bring it up-to-date,” she said.

The joint meeting to discuss long-standing issues occasionally takes place on the fifth Monday of the month, between county commissioners and council members from Whitefish, Kalispell and Columbia Falls.

Included in the proposed changes, the 911 board added “supporting infrastructure and equipment” to the agreement’s purpose. Before, the agreement stopped at consolidating the county and its three incorporated cities dispatch services.

Another proposed change to the document stated, “the parties agree to continue to pursue long-term funding mechanisms that are appropriate and acceptable.”

For years, the county and cities have tried to identify a long-term funding source to operate the 911 center.

Kalispell Council Member Phil Guiffrida said the agreement’s proposed changes didn’t go far enough.

“There’s an elephant in the room with this situation,” Guiffrida said. “We should have a common goal to move this whole thing into the future and to get this issue solved.”

The 911 center is funded by a property tax levy of about 6 mills that funds a portion of the sheriff’s budget — a funding mechanism that generates $1.5 million annually for the center. The three cities contribute money based on population, and a small tax on county residents’ phone bills brings in the rest of the operating money.

Nicosia said the center’s current budget is $3.2 million. She said while that covers operational costs, it doesn’t provide enough money for equipment upgrades or ongoing maintenance.

“The hope is, [the center] will be a county operation with long-term funding set in place — that’s always been the goal,” she said during an interview Wednesday. “I think we’re almost there — operationally it’s working great, now we just have to figure out the funding.”

Last May, the county commissioners halted an effort to create a special tax district to fund the dispatch center after receiving community backlash. The county received 9,527 public statements opposing the proposed special district, which could have brought in $1.9 million to the center annually.

The failed action put the county back at square one to find a way to pay for upgrades for the center for a second time.

County Commissioner Phil Mitchell said the Monday night meeting was about updating the existing agreement — not rebuilding the center’s future.

He said in the last six months, the 911 board has worked with a consultant to address center labor costs by comparing practices of other dispatch centers. The board also approved cutting 2.5 positions at the center, which Mitchell said he expects to take effect April 15.

He said the 911 center spends roughly $200,000 a year to upgrade its dispatch system. Mitchell said a subcommittee is working to see if there are cheaper system options.

“As of what we’ve been doing so far, this was not easy, but this will get us in a better place to be looking at how we’re going to fund 911 and move on,” he said Monday night.

He said it was important the incorporated cities and county work together this year to draft a new funding plan.

Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson said he was concerned that finding an equitable funding source would get slotted as a back-burner issue.

“How do we take the interlocal agreement and embody what we want to have so future councils and future commissioners can look at it and say, ‘look, in 2017 this group of people met and said after this many years, enough is enough,’” he said.

Johnson also took issue with the 911 board meetings being held at 1:15 in the afternoon. He said the time restricted council members’ ability to attend and limited public involvement since it was in the middle of a work day. Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld agreed.

Nicosia said the time the board meets will be taken under consideration at the next 911 board meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 8 at 1:15 p.m. at the dispatch center.

The quorum agreed that over the next 30 days, city managers would work with their councils to add proposed amendments to the agreement. After the update is signed, Nicosia said the goal is to continue moving forward to secure long-term funding.

Whitefish Council Member Katie Williams reminded the representatives in the room not to get bogged down with the details.

“While you’re really looking at the interlocal agreement, separate goals and ideals as to what we want this to become from what that document actually is,” she said. “...Let’s just deal with the document and then start moving on for the big picture.”

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.