Cities, county to discuss 911 center funds

The funding and structure of the 911 center is the topic of discussion at a Monday meeting of Flathead County governing bodies.

The Flathead County commissioners and city councils of Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. The meeting is open to the public.

An explanation of how the 911 center is funded by the four entities leads the list of discussion topics. The four government bodies all contribute toward the cost to run the consolidated dispatch and emergency services center in a formula based on population.

The center has been open for 14 months, so complete data is now available to compare projected costs to actual costs.

Elected officials are to discuss the center’s future funding, planning and financial needs. A review of the center’s organizational structure and oversight is also listed for discussion.

The funding entities appoint members to a board, which oversees the 911 center’s budget and operations.

The 911 center has had a negative balance in its operations fund for most of the time it has been open, county Finance Director Sandy Carlson has reported several times to commissioners.

Actual costs have exceeded projected costs in several areas, Carlson and Flathead County Office of Emergency Services Director Scott Sampey have said.

Unemployment insurance costs were higher than expected. Several long-time employees quit after the consolidation took place, and the center incurred costs to pay those people for accrued vacation.

The cities have been asked to contribute to the costs to maintain radio towers since the center opened, a cost cities didn’t previously share because the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office bore the full cost for all towers used by the county and the city police departments.

Sampey also wants cities to contribute to employee training costs, which have been paid by the county.

Before the center opened, it was over budget by $675,842 from cost overruns on computers, communications and telephone equipment.

In a letter to 911 center board members, Carlson, Kalispell Finance Director Amy Roberts and Columbia Falls City Manager Susan Nicosia, who is the previous Columbia Falls finance director, said several factors contributed to the cost overruns, including limited financial oversight on the project, inaccurate information on projected cash balances, coding errors and higher-than-anticipated equipment costs.

In November 2008, voters in Flathead County approved a $6.9 million bond issue to pay for the 911 center, a consolidated emergency dispatch center housing operations previously handled in the county sheriff’s office and police departments in Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.

Because construction bids came in lower than expected, the former 911 director recommended the county sell only $6.1 million worth of bonds and save the taxpayers the additional money. But as the project progressed, equipment ended up costing more than expected, and it’s costing more than expected to buy and maintain communication towers and digital radio equipment, county officials have said.

So, earlier this summer, the county sold the remaining $800,000 in bonds to help fund the 911 center. The county has shuffled $1.2 million from the capital expense and cash reserve funds for the center to buy new needed equipment. Selling the bonds allows some of that money to be repaid.

Public comment will be accepted at Monday’s meeting.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.