Helena-West Helena council OKs moving toward county takeover of police dispatch

The Helena-West Helena City Council voted at a special-call meeting July 29 to authorize the county to draft a contract that would transfer the city’s police dispatch responsibilities to county dispatch, with a written agreement to return to the council for approval on Aug. 19. The presiding official said the county’s proposal would charge the city $85,000 annually to provide dispatch services.

The council’s action directs the county to prepare a written agreement for council consideration; the presiding official said the city would implement the change Sept. 1 if the agreement is approved. "We would be trading $252,832 in projected dispatcher payroll and benefits for $85,000," the presiding official said, describing the numbers the city used to compare costs.

Why it matters: Council members and staff framed the move as a near-term way to reduce the city’s payroll expense and associated payroll-related debts. The presiding official and treasurer presented projected annual costs for six full-time city dispatchers — $252,832 — and said the county proposal expects to staff the function with one full-time and two part-time employees, arriving at an $85,000 annual charge.

Discussion: Council member Saint Columbia made the motion to ask the county to draft an agreement; Doctor Miller seconded. The presiding official described the county’s staffing assumptions and said the city dispatchers receive overtime because they are sometimes short-staffed. "This would help us to continue to trend down on payroll," the presiding official said.

Formal action and next steps: Motion by Council member Saint Columbia, second by Doctor Miller, to have the county draft a written agreement for presentation to the council on Aug. 19. The clerk recorded the vote as four yes, two absent; the motion passed.

Implementation risks and limits: The presiding official said the county will draft the contract and that the council must approve the written agreement before the county assumes dispatch responsibilities. The council did not approve a final contract or change employee status at the July 29 meeting; it approved only moving forward with a county-drafted agreement.

Background details: The presiding official said the county’s $85,000 figure is based on proposed staffing, benefits and payroll taxes shown in the county’s breakdown provided to council members. The presiding official characterized the change as a contract trade-off: reduce roughly $168,000 in projected annual city payroll costs (the difference between the $252,832 projection and the county’s $85,000 figure). The presiding official and treasurer said the dispatcher positions currently generate overtime because the department is short-handed.

The council scheduled the county-drafted agreement to return for formal approval at the next regular meeting, Aug. 19.