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Council approves month‑to‑month extension of interlocal agreement to cover Dorcas/I‑10 area
Summary
Council approved a second amendment extending an interlocal agreement with Okaloosa County to reimburse the city for personnel costs responding to incidents in the Dorcas area and along I‑10, on a month‑to‑month basis while the county selection process proceeds.
The council voted June 9 to approve a second amendment extending the city’s interlocal agreement with Okaloosa County covering fire response in the Dorcas district and along Interstate‑10.
Staff and the fire chief said the agreement reimburses the city for personnel costs when city crews respond to incidents in areas Dorcas previously covered; Dorcas cannot access I‑10 directly and the city’s Station 2 currently handles those interstate responses. The county initially signed the agreement on Sept. 12 and extended it once; county officials requested a month‑to‑month extension while the county selection process for a new provider proceeds.
Council members asked about response locations, station assignments and call volumes. The fire chief said Station 2 (the PJ Adams station) has been the primary responder for the interstate corridor; monthly call volume for that Dorcas/I‑10 corridor averages under 10 calls per month and some months have had none. Staff said the county uses the interlocal to authorize payment for personnel costs without separate Board of County Commissioners action on each call.
Some council members expressed concern about continuing the arrangement while Dorcas reorganizes; staff said the interlocal can be terminated with 30 days’ notice and that the county selection committee had met June 4 and the city expects an update soon.
Motion and vote: council approved the Dorcas Fire Department Interlocal Agreement Second Amendment (motion; second; vote 4–0, one absence).
Staff said the month‑to‑month extension is intended to be temporary while the county RFP process finishes; the council directed staff to monitor the timeline and to return if circumstances change.
