Panel agrees on 911 center supervision

Six-member board planned to oversee new dispatch effort

With some grumbling, local elected, law and fire officials tentatively agreed on a draft agreement on how Flathead County and three city governments will supervise a new consolidated 911 center.

Pending some final wordsmithing reviews, the ad hoc committee will send the draft to the Flathead County commissioners and the city councils of Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls for final approval.

The group went with a six-person board to supervise the center, despite some qualms that an even-numbered board can easily deadlock.

The draft agreement calls for the following people to be on the new board: the sheriff, a county commissioner, another elected county official and one elected official each from Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls.

This board would replace the current Flathead City-County 911 Administrative Board.

The ad hoc committee went with six members after county Commissioner Joe Brenneman said the commission would not accept county representatives being in a minority, and that a 50/50 split is as far as the commissioners would compromise.

That's because the county would pay more of the annual operating costs than the combined three cities, Brenneman said.

Some city representatives grumbled that the county government alone could lock up any proposal unless it gets its way.

"I feel: 'What are we doing here?' if it's going to be an ultimatum," Whitefish Mayor Mike Jenson said.

However, no one finally objected to the six-person proposal in the draft agreement.

The draft agreement also calls for a two-year time limit on the new board re-examining and potentially rearranging how to raise money for the new 911 center's annual operations budget.

The new center's estimated annual operating cost of $2.137 million is roughly equal or slightly less than the combined costs of operating four separate dispatch facilities.

The state will provide $500,000 a year.

Based on population, the draft agreement calls for the county to shoulder roughly $1 million of the annual operating costs, with the three cities splitting the rest.

City representatives on the committee believe that since city residents also are county residents, town dwellers are double-taxed in this arrangement.

Some committee members sent up trial balloons about a countywide 911 operations tax levy in which each home would be taxed once.

However, qualms were raised about whether voters would pass a new tax levy.

Last November, Flathead voters narrowly approved a $6.9 million bond issue to build a consolidated 11,800-square-foot 911 center in northwestern Kalispell.

If bonds are issued for $6.9 million, that will translate to a $12.48 annual increase in property taxes on a $200,000 house.

However, the latest construction estimate is $6.376 million. A $6.376 million bond issue would mean a smaller property tax increase.

The timetable is for bids to be sought on March 12 with contractors turning in bids by March 31. The contract is expected to be awarded in early April. The current 911 board aims for a Dec. 31 completion of the building.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com