4. 9-1-1 Update*spell
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Post Offtc e Box 199 KaIispel1, Montana 5 9 0 1997 TeI ephone (406) 75 8-7000 Fax (406) 758--77 8
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REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: James H. Patrick, City Manager
SUBJECT: Consolidated E-911 Communications Center
MEETING DATE: January 14, 2005
BACKGROUND: Currently the County dispatch center dispatches Fire and Ambulance for
all departments in the County as well as the County Sheriff. The three Cities have dispatch
centers to dispatch their individual police departments. All departments have suffered from an
over utilized, under resourced, antiquated system at the County. The County E911
Administrative Board has made headway by working with the County to upgrade equipment and
services.
Council passed Resolution 5172 on January 16, 2007 to support an agreement to establish an
E91 I Central Administrative Body for the purpose of administering coordinated E91 I Dispatch
services and for the sharing of costs.
The plan considers moving the dispatch center to the OES space in the basement of the Justice
Center as an interim solution and placing it under the operational control of the OES director.
For this to happen, the interlocal agreement will need to be changed. As you recall from past
analysis, this location does not work for a long term solution. The final goal would be to have a
stand alone center.
At the fifth Monday meeting in whitefish, all three Councils felt that there should be a mill levy
presented to the public to fund the 911 center. This is the most equitable way of financing for
everyone in the County. The City tax payers should not be paying twice or three times for
dispatch. services. City residents are County residents and County tax payers also.
The attached resolution will be discussed. whitefish has already considered and passed a similar
resolution. Columbia Falls will consider a similar resolution next Monday evening.
Respectfully submitted,
James H. Patrick, City Manager
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR A CONSOLIDATED 911 DISPATCH CENTER IN
FLATHEAD COUNTY.
WHEREAS, the 911 emergency dispatch system in Flathead County includes a County
dispatch center, and additional dispatch centers in Whitefish, Kalispell and
Columbia Falls; and
WHEREAS, the County 911 center currently dispatches all fire and ambulance calls, while law
enforcement calls that originate within the boundaries of the incorporated cities
are routed first to the County center and then to the respective city 911 call
centers for actual dispatch; and
WHEREAS, approximately 90 percent of all emergency calls require a law enforcement
response, and citizens making emergency 911 calls from within incorporated
cities for law enforcement assistance must explain the reason for their call twice;
once to the County dispatcher and again — after the call is transferred — to the City
dispatcher before a dispatch for a law enforcement response is placed; and
WHEREAS, the inefficiency of calls going through two 911 centers increases the response
time, the risk of dropped calls as well as the potential escalation of the underlying
emergency subjecting the callers to increased and prolonged danger; and
WHEREAS, funding 911 centers at both the County and City levels represents an unnecessary
duplication of service and an inefficient use of tax dollars; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the need to consolidate 911 emergency call centers in
Flathead County to a single center to speed emergency call response and to more
efficiently utilize tax dollars to improve emergency services generally; and
WHEREAS, all users of telephones in Flathead County, including all city residents, currently
contribute their respective 911 phone tax revenues to the operation of the County
911 emergency call center and that such contributions are anticipated to continue
with a consolidated center; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that residents of the cities should pay the same for 911
emergency services as out of city residents as they will both receive the same
level of consolidated service; and
WHEREAS, the City Council further finds that a consolidated County -wide 911 center
operated with shared financial support must have a governing body that assures
that the County and three cities are equal and co-dependent on each other for the
successful governance and operation of the center.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
KALISPELL AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I. The Kalispell City Council hereby establishes a policy in support of a
consolidated 911 emergency dispatch center located in Flathead County predicated on
achieving three overriding goals:
a) CONSOLIDATION: Duplicative 911 dispatch centers must be eliminated and a
single consolidated system must be established as soon as possible.
b) TAXPAYER PARITY: The use of property tax dollars to support a consolidated 911
dispatch system must be based on the principle that property taxpayers, regardless of
the location of their property, shall pay property taxes only once for the same level of
911 service and that such payments shall be at the same rate for all property taxpayers
whether a taxpayer has property in a city or in the unincorporated County.
c) SHARED GOVERNANCE: The governing body for the consolidated 911 dispatch
center must be based on the principle of collective equality between the cities and the
County. The structure of the governing body must assure that the County and cities
are codependent on each other in the sharing of governing authority and that they are
jointly and collectively responsible for the effective use of public funds and the
delivery of emergency 911 services.
SECTION II. The City Manager is hereby directed to convey and communicate this
resolution to the Flathead County Commissioners, the Flathead County
E911 Board of Directors, and to the City Councils of Whitefish and
Columbia Falls.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND SIGNED BY THE MAYOR OF
THE CITY OF KALISPELL, THIS 14" DAY OF JANUARY, 2008.
Pamela B. Kennedy
Mayor
ATTEST:
Theresa White
City Clerk