Cities tell Dearborn County commissioners 911 allocation is unfair as dispatch budget faces nearly $1 million shortfall

City representatives told the Dearborn County Board of Commissioners on May 20 that the county-run 911 dispatch budget leaves a roughly $980,000 shortfall and that the current cost-sharing formula places an outsized burden on three cities that generate the majority of police calls.

Why it matters: The county'wide 911 operations budget discussed at the meeting was reported as $1,790,000; wireless/cell-phone fees account for about $813,000 of that, leaving the shortfall. City representatives said their three cities generate about 55% of police calls despite representing about 26% of the county population, and that the county currently allocates money using a state-directed DLGF formula tied to property levies rather than call volume.

A Greendale city representative identified in the record as "Ben" told commissioners, "We are being…