From the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette:
The Allen County commissioners have reached a tentative agreement to fill a million-dollar budget gap to ensure the joint city-county emergency dispatch department can operate for all of this year.
Commissioner Nelson Peters said he and the other commissioners have agreed to use more than $1 million from the county’s 911 fees to ensure the department is fully financed for all of 2012. Fort Wayne and county attorneys are working on an amended agreement to ensure such budget shortfalls don’t occur in the future, or at least there is a set way to close them, he said.
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A dispute arose last year between the city and county over the $6.9 million 2012 budget and the size of each government’s share. City Controller Pat Roller, who also manages the finances of the joint department, previously said the budget was prepared based on the joint agreement signed by city and county officials. It requires that the city finance 70 percent of the department and the county pay for 30 percent, based generally on the proportion of where emergency calls are generated.
The budget included $3.2 million from the city, $1.4 million from the county and nearly $2.4 million from 911 fees. The commissioners in January approved nearly $1.1 million from the 911 fees to go to the joint department.
While using the 911 money – of which there is about $6 million – is the simplest solution, Peters expressed some concerns about depleting its balance. That money, he said would be ideal to use to help finance the purchase of a new radio system.
The city and county are looking to spend $10 million to $20 million on a new emergency radio system because their current system is obsolete. County Attorney John Feighner, a member of the partnership board, said the plan is to reach an agreement on what system to buy, how much it will cost and where the money will come from by next month. The group is negotiating with Motorola for the new system.
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Some county officials have suggested using unexpected income tax revenue – as a result of a state accounting error – to help pay for the radios. Another option would be to borrow money and use 911 revenue or property taxes to pay the debt.
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http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120515/LOCAL/120519680/1002/SEARCH
