By Patrick Wilson, The Virginian-Pilot(Norfolk, Va.)

City officials are challenging a state agency’s assertion that the 9-1-1 center received more than $1 million too much because of a mistake on Portsmouth’s end.

In a letter to the Virginia E-9-1-1 Services Board, an assistant city attorney wrote that inaction by the state over several years was part of the problem.

The Virginia E-9-1-1 Services Board gives money to 9-1-1 centers based on certain criteria.

During a routine audit of fiscal 2010 money, the agency discovered a possible error with data provided by Portsmouth.

A full audit of all 9-1-1 centers in Virginia then showed funding was not distributed appropriately and that Portsmouth had received an extra $1.1 million over three years.

The state informed Portsmouth leaders that it wants the money repaid, hopefully by the end of the year.

But a Nov. 16 letter from Assistant City Attorney Nancy Cherry said Portsmouth informed the E-9-1-1 Services Board about overpayments in 2010 and the state took no action. She also wrote that the state can ask for a refund only during a current fiscal year.

“The Board is legally and equitably barred from seeking retroactive payments from Portsmouth,” she wrote.

The letter also outlined why Portsmouth officials believe that the city’s police communications manager noticed and reported to the state – several times – a large increase in payments.

“We’ve been trying to fix this since 2010,” Police Chief Ed Hargis said.

The city attorney’s office proposed a settlement: that the E-9-1-1 Services Board withhold Portsmouth’s monthly payments from December until June.

Steve Marzolf, the integrated services program director for the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, said this week that he couldn’t comment because the agency had not yet received the letter.

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