Jodie Jackson, Columbia Daily Tribune (Missouri)

Boone County will be able to reimburse itself with bond funds for expenses connected to the construction of a new 9-1-1 call center before the bonds are issued.

County officials hope to have the new 9-1-1 center — which they estimate will cost about $20 million for construction, equipment and staffing — operational by theof 2015. The project will be bond- financed, with debt service and continuing operating costs funded by a countywide three-eighths-cent sales tax expected to generate about $9.3 million annually.

The Boone County Commission is expected to give final approval to the bond reimbursement measure Tuesday. County Treasurer Nicole Galloway explained yesterday during a first reading of the commission order that the measure will apply only to costs associated with building, planning and equipping the new center. Operating and maintenance costs, such as personnel, cannot be covered by the reimbursement.

“It’s our first step toward financing for this building,” Galloway told commissioners.

The permanent three-eighths-cent sales tax won the approval of 57 percent of voters in April. Collection of the tax will begin in October and will fund a new $11.3 million facility, $8.65 million in equipment and additions in staffing for 9-1-1 and emergency management. The annual budget will be an estimated $8.6 million.

Galloway said it was important for the commission to adopt the reimbursement order now because it could be late December or early January before sales tax revenue is first available. In the meantime, the county will incur costs for architect and engineering services, a project manager and possibly costs directly related to construction.

Southern District Commissioner Karen Miller said the measure allows the county to loan itself money, probably from reserve funds, for early project costs.

“We’re going to reclaim it,” Galloway said. “There won’t be an issue cash-flow wise to make this happen.”

Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill said his main concern was that in order to get the project moving, the county needed to spend money before the tax revenue started flowing.

“We’ve got from now until then to make things happen without any tax revenue,” said Atwill, who is working with the city of Columbia and the Public Safety Joint Communications board to transfer employees and control of the 9-1-1 call center to the county.

Galloway said it’s still too early to tell how much the county might need to spend in advance of the bonds being issued, and which county fund will cover those expenses. She said that adopting the reimbursement order now avoids the county having to later look back to see which costs might qualify for reimbursement.

“Let’s get the project started off right,” Galloway said. “This allows some flexibility to keep the project moving and issue the bonds in optimal market conditions.”

Northern District Commissioner Janet Thompson credited Galloway and County Auditor June Pitchford with the “very efficient” step toward accountability and transparency.

“They want to make sure it’s transparent from the get-go, that people know what’s being spent and how it’s being spent,” Thompson said. “I think that’s what the people really wanted when they approved that ballot issue.”

The 9-1-1 center, proposed to be a two-story, 20,000-square-foot facility that would house both Joint Communications and the Office of Emergency Management, is planned to be constructed at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department campus just north of Columbia.

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