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Ballinger and county clash over dispatch payments as April 15 deadline looms
Summary
City officials told the joint meeting the city has paid $276,750 for dispatch since 2019 and said $50,000 remained unpaid in 2024; county officials say they will not pay without a signed interlocal agreement, leaving a deadline and unresolved budget gap.
City and county officials traded numbers and responsibilities at a joint meeting focused on who should pay for dispatch and fire suppression outside municipal limits. The Moderator said the city has paid $276,750 for dispatch services since 2019 and that "an additional $50,000 [was] left unpaid in 2024 due to the absence of a signed interlocal agreement." The city set a deadline, saying the agreement should be signed and $81,000 paid by 04/15/2025 or dispatch services could be discontinued.
County and staff speakers repeatedly cited the lack of a signed interlocal agreement as the reason payments stopped. A presenter told the meeting the county "would not pay" where there was no signed interlocal and described the interlocal as a prerequisite for the county to issue checks. The discussion included repeated requests that the outdated interlocal verbiage be updated; the Moderator said the document is old and needs revision before the parties can finalize payments or shared responsibilities.
