Whitefish questions 911 funding

The Whitefish City Council on Monday agreed in theory that a consolidated county 911 center is a good idea, but took no action to support it until funding issues can be worked out.

Mark Peck, 911 project coordinator for Flathead County, gave the council a progress report on work the Flathead 911 Board has done over the past year, but parts of the proposal were challenged by City Manager Gary Marks.

Marks took issue with a statement in a newly released 911 reference paper that says "each of the cities and the county will be expected to pay according to the interlocal agreement on the next budget cycle. If any of the cities or the county determines it cannot participate, it should be prepared to handle its own dispatching, including all 911 calls for that community."

"The 911 board seems to be shoving this at us," Marks said. "It's take this or get out."

Marks said the city of Whitefish continues to have concerns about the funding mechanism for the new consolidated center that likely will be built in northwestern Kalispell.

The 911 board wants to build a $2.9 million, 6,000-square-foot center on state land just south of the new Flathead National Forest building south of Glacier High School.

A construction bond could be put to a public vote this fall.

Marks said there should be parity among all taxpayers for dispatch service, and still believes the proposed funding amounts to double taxation for city residents.

"Our policy is our taxpayers shouldn't pay twice," Marks said. "For the past five months we've been talking to you folks, saying we need a dialog."

But Peck noted the 911 board has had voting members from each of the county's three incorporated cities.

"To say this document hasn't had city representation, I disagree," Peck said. "I agree a dialog should have been going on, but it has been going on at the board level."

Whitefish's representatives on the 911 board are council members Turner Askew and Shirley Jacobson and Police Chief Bill Dial.

Askew maintained the cost savings of turning over the dispatch to a consolidated center would save the city more than it's currently paying for dispatch.

"You're not being double-dipped," Askew told Marks.

Dial had a different opinion, saying the merger is "pretty much going to be a wash.

"The bottom line is we need to do something," Dial said, noting that Whitefish's aging dispatch equipment needs to be replaced. "We either get on or get off."

The 911 board contends that an interlocal agreement signed by the cities and county in 1999 defines both the funding mechanism and the governance.

Whitefish, still reeling from the county's recent decision to rescind an interlocal agreement for the two-mile planning "doughnut," now is leery of making any further pacts with the county.

It's a matter of trust, Marks said, adding: "I don't know if we can recommend any agreement with the county."

Mayor Mike Jenson suggested a compromise - get on board with the 911 proposal, with the caveat of being able to still negotiate the funding. There seemed to be a consensus for Jenson's suggestion among the council members.

City councils from Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell will meet with the 911 board on June 30 for their "fifth Monday" meeting.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com