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Commissioners discuss phased transfer of Leeds' 911 funds and staffing needs for central dispatch
Summary
County leaders considered a contract with Blunt County and the City of Leeds to shift Leeds' 911 calls and a phased transfer of phone-line revenue (four-year delay then multi-year phase-in). Staff said Leeds' contribution could initially fund three dispatchers; commissioners debated Oct. 1 start, interim funding and staffing risks.
St. Clair County officials spent a major portion of the work session negotiating terms for bringing the City of Leeds into the county's centralized dispatch system. The proposal discussed would have Blunt County delay transferring Leeds' phone-line 911 funds for four years and then phase reductions in years five through eight, with incremental transfers of state phone-line revenue to St. Clair County as part of an eight-year transition.
The county's emergency communications staff and the Leeds representative described a phased plan in which Leeds would begin transferring some operating funds toward the county's dispatch operation while Blunt County retains certain phone-fee revenue initially. "So, it'll be four years before they give us any of their 911 money," the Leeds representative explained during the meeting, and the parties described the remainder of the funding coming in 25% reductions across later years.
County staff and commissioners tested the numbers and staffing implications. Departments quoted an estimate of roughly $230,000 a year in revenue from Leeds; staff said that amount could fund three new dispatch positions initially (some speakers said four would be preferable for full shift coverage). "If you get 230, that means you can only hire three dispatch," one commissioner stated; staff cautioned that additional hires would be needed as call volume grows.
Commissioners discussed an Oct. 1 start date for taking Leeds calls, training lead time for new hires and whether Leeds could provide early payments (July'October overlap) to cover payroll and benefits during the ramp-up. Several commissioners emphasized they did not want the county to take a short-term budget hit: "I don't want us losing any money taking this on," one commissioner said.
Staff outlined administrative options to avoid lengthy state legislation; the state 911 director (Caleb Branch) was cited as a contact who can advise on whether the state would re-direct funds directly to the county if a contract and agreement are presented. County legal counsel and the state 911 board will be involved in finalizing any contract language.
No final contract was adopted during the work session; commissioners asked staff to continue negotiations, to return staffing and budget figures, and to explore whether Leeds could fund a training/start-up overlap so the county would not carry the cost alone.
Next steps: staff will refine a cost and staffing proposal, seek Leeds's decision on early funding for training months if possible, and coordinate draft contract language with county counsel and the Blunt County communications district for state 911 board review.
