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Council approves amended cooperative dispatch agreement; debate focuses on fixed‑cost allocation
Summary
Lompoc City Council adopted a second amendment to the cooperative dispatch agreement with the county regional center, which staff said clarifies cost items and has no additional fiscal impact beyond amounts already budgeted. Councilors pressed staff for detail on how fixed costs (rent, professional services) are allocated among partners.
The Lompoc City Council approved a second amendment to the cooperative dispatch agreement with the regional fire/EMS dispatch consortium (RFCC), a multi‑agency effort that consolidates 9‑1‑1 dispatching and related services for participating fire agencies.
Staff said the amendment clarifies definitions and cost allocations in the original agreement and does not impose any additional fiscal impact on Lompoc because the costs are already appropriated in the city's budget. The amendment was presented after the council pulled the item from the consent calendar for questions; the council later approved the amendment 5–0.
During the discussion several council members and members of the public sought more detail on how certain fixed operational expenses would be allocated. The revised appendix separates "fixed operational expenses" (listed as equally shared among partners) from variable, proportional costs tied to billable call volume. Concern focused on language that makes items such as rent and some professional services an equal share rather than strictly proportional to call volume. A city official characterized the rewrite as clarifying language that had not been present in the 2021 agreement; county staff and the city's representative at the RFCC explained the change was meant to increase transparency.
A Lompoc staff member told the council the fixed costs shown in the amendment are part of a total fixed expense line (the packet identified approximately $84,000 in fixed operational costs across the consortium) and that variable billing of call volume would remain a primary component of each agency's share.
Council members requested more itemized detail for the fixed expenses, including how rent, depreciation and professional services are calculated and whether those items could produce an unexpected jump in Lompoc's share if they were reclassified. Staff said council representatives sit on governing RFCC committees and have a role in oversight, and they agreed to obtain and present a breakdown of the fixed cost items and the methodology for their allocation.
After the discussion Councilor Ball moved to approve the amendment; the motion was seconded and passed 5–0.
The council also asked staff to provide follow‑up material that ties the RFCC appendix language to dollar figures so the council can see what the fixed and proportional charges look like in dollars and how a change in classification would affect the city's billing.
