Public commenter presses commissioners on 911 billing and Use Tax treatment; item #9 deferred

Public commenter Mike Major asked the Delaware County Board of County Commissioners on March 24 why a payment to the county’s dispatching provider listed under Agenda Item #9 was not included in the regular county budget and whether the payment would be taken from the Use Tax account in future years.

Chairman Commissioner David Poindexter responded that the board had been advised to use the Use Tax account to pay the bill and explained that dispatch employees previously paid from the sheriff’s budget now are paid by the 911 Trust Authority; the payment described covers dispatching for the Sheriff’s Office and district barns. Commissioner David Beck added that county obligations must be made on a yearly basis by law. County Clerk Barbara Barnes described the Use Tax account as a cash account. The transcript does not record a formal decision changing budget classifications; rather, commissioners provided an explanation of current practice and said the matter requiring District Attorney documents (Agenda #9) will be handled at a special meeting once paperwork is available.

The exchange did not resolve whether the payment will be included in future base budgets or how the county will reflect the expense in subsequent budget cycles. The transcript does not show the District Attorney present with the required documents, so no action on Agenda #9 was taken and commissioners said they will schedule a special meeting to address the item when the DA’s paperwork is ready.