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Bee Cave council approves interlocal dispatch agreement with Marble Falls to cut costs
Summary
The Bee Cave City Council approved an interlocal agreement to move dispatch services to Marble Falls, a change staff says will reduce annual service costs to about $330,000 with $540,000 in one-time conversion expenses and a projected two-year payback of upfront costs.
The Bee Cave City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 13 to approve an interlocal agreement (ILA) with the City of Marble Falls to provide public-safety dispatch services beginning with a planned go-live of Oct. 1, 2027.
City staff presented a decade-long review of dispatch costs and proposed the agreement after evaluating alternatives. Miss Oakley, the staff presenter, said the current annual cost modeled with Lakeway was approximately $595,172 and that the Marble Falls proposal would set an annual service charge at about $330,000. "The interlocal agreement that is proposed includes a $330,000 annual service cost that would begin on the go live date," Oakley told council.
Oakley and Marble Falls representatives detailed upfront conversion costs that the city would pay to transition systems and to have a Bee Cave-owned records-management server on site. Staff identified roughly $540,000 in one-time conversion expenses (including an administrative fee, personnel/operations conversion work and a Motorola console) and estimated that the annual delta would recover those costs in about two years.
Stacy Baker Marbury, director of communications for Marble Falls dispatch, described training, CAD geo-validation and regional interoperability that the center uses to familiarize dispatchers with partner jurisdictions. When council asked about continuity during major incidents, Marble Falls staff said they dedicate resources and use interoperable communications and partner PSAP coordination to manage surges. Interim Chief Pittman of Bee Cave's police department told council the physical distance of a dispatch center "does not matter" for response times given modern CAD and mobile routing.
Council members framed the decision as a fiscal one: several said the city needed to contain escalating dispatch costs while acknowledging the existing relationship with Lakeway. After discussion, a council member moved to approve the ILA and another seconded; the motion carried unanimously.
Next steps in the process include completing the ILA paperwork, coordinating the planned technical conversion and participating on the Marble Falls'operational advisory board described in the agreement. Staff estimated the city would have quarterly partner meetings and a seat at advisory discussions on service delivery and quality control.
