Missouri: 9-1-1 Panel Favors County Takeover, New Joint Office
Brennan David, Columbia Daily Tribune (Mo.)
An unofficial vote by a panel formed to make recommendations to the Boone County Commission regarding a proposed 9-1-1 sales tax favors a county takeover instead of creating a political subdivision.
Only one of the nine-member 9-1-1 Blue Ribbon advisory panel did not favor an April ballot proposal that would transfer 9-1-1 services from the city of Columbia to Boone County government. Under that proposal, The Columbia/Boone County Office of Joint Communications and Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management would be joined to form a county department, and voters would be asked to approve a sales tax.
Former Boone County Sheriff Ted Boehm was the lone undecided vote. The panel plans to cast its official vote Thursday.
“The integration of emergency management” and 9-1-1 services “is critical. They must be together,” attorney Rusty Antel said. The other option under consideration was to create a political subdivision to manage 9-1-1 services only. The panel was specifically asked to provide direction to the commission concerning the two options.
The panel started its work in early October. Members have met once a week with county and city officials and department heads in an effort to educate themselves on the subject.
The panel was formed after the Public Safety Joint Communications board — made up of Boone County agencies that use 9-1-1 and its dispatch services, including law enforcement, ambulance services, fire departments and hospitals — failed to agree on one of the two options.
Several of the 9-1-1 Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel members noted their surprise at a lack of facilities, technology and mismanagement by the Public Safety Joint Communications board and city of Columbia over the years.
“I’m embarrassed with the facilities we have in this county, but I’m impressed with the people working for it,” said panel member Steven Smith.
In framing 9-1-1’s future, panel members were specifically concerned with county government potentially abusing joint communications as they said city officials have done over several years. The panel identified 15 responsibilities that have been placed on current joint communications staff that they say have little to do with its function.
Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill said county government’s assigned checks and balances, as well as Auditor June Pitchford, are protections the city cannot provide. Under the current agreement, 9-1-1 personnel are city employees.
The less-favored second option would require voters to approve a new political subdivision with a sales tax and, if instituted, would call for the commission to appoint a seven-member board whose members would thereafter stand for election. Elections would cost the county money, and board members might not be knowledgeable of 9-1-1 services or emergency management. The second option, however, could give users more say over the operations, but many panel members said they were uncomfortable with how long it would take the new board to establish its own policies and guidelines for services and the fact that it did not provide for funding of emergency management.
Although the sales tax amount remains undecided, an estimated price tag of $22.5 million to construct a new facility and purchase new equipment means the sales tax amount could be substantial, Sheriff Dwayne Carey said.
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