WARREN COUNTY SUPERVISORS, from left, Bill Lauderdale, David McDonald, Michael Mayfield, Richard George, and Charles Selmon listen Friday at City Hall Annex as Mayor Laurence Leyens suggests changes to the current funding of 911 and ambulance services for county and city residents.(The Vicksburg Post/C. TODD SHERMAN

[11/17/01]In a meeting that became heated at times, city and county officials debated for nearly three hours Friday the amount Vicksburg taxpayers should pay for countywide services, including the joint funding of 911 and ambulance services.

The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Warren County Board of Supervisors adopted different agreements for the joint funding of 911 services and county ambulance service earlier this month. The purpose of Friday’s unusual gathering of the two boards was to work out those differences.

No agreements were reached between the two boards.

“Sixty-five percent of the funds you are using to pay for this with are coming from city taxpayers,” Mayor Laurence Leyens said, regarding the city’s contribution to joint services. “They’re paying more than their fair share.”

County supervisors objected to changing the method used to fund countywide services, saying that funds had already been allocated in the new budget year that began Oct. 1. The county budgeted $257,000 for ambulance service outside municipal limits and $92,000 for 911 service.

Those agreements were also due to be signed Oct. 1.

“If we were in your seat, we would have settled this before we set the budget and we wouldn’t be here right now,” said Richard George, president of the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Leyens suggested that the fairest way to fund both countywide services was for Warren County to raise taxes and the city to lower taxes and then fund both services entirely out of the county budget.

“The county can tax everyone equally and pay for everything equally,” Leyens said. “Don’t you think that would be fair?”

District 4 Supervisor Bill Lauderdale responded: “No, because we don’t share the same services.”

Under the agreement for 911 services passed by the supervisors, the county is asking the city to fund 75 percent of the salaries of dispatchers while the county would fund the remaining 25 percent. Supervisors have said that amount is based on the number of 911 calls coming from city residents.

But Leyens argued that the amount is not fair to city taxpayers who also pay county taxes. He said that in addition to paying 75 percent of the cost, city residents would be paying 65 percent of the county’s share through county property taxes.

“City taxpayers are being burdened because they are being taxed twice,” Leyens said.

Instead, the city has proposed basing the cost on population and is asking the county to fund 46.8 percent, or about $178,324. The city board has also asked the county to contribute $345,550 for ambulance service based on population.

“We would love to work with the City of Vicksburg, but one of the problems is we’ve already set a budget,” District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon said.

Selmon, whose district is entirely within the municipal limits of Vicksburg, has often said that city residents have not been getting a fair share of county services. He said that although the budget was a problem this year, he agreed that something needed to be changed.

“The city has a valid point and I’ve been saying that for six years,” Selmon said.

Last year, the county paid $250,000 to have city ambulance service outside municipal limits. Lauderdale said that the county has also been looking at quotes from private ambulance services for county residents.

“We’ve had this conversation every administration and private ambulance services has come up every administration and I know if you really wanted to do it you’d put some money some where for it,” North Ward Aldermen Gertrude Young said.

City and county residents have shared the fire department-based public ambulance service since 1967 and the combined 911 dispatching center since 1989. Both services are funded in part by supplements from both governments based on contracts.

About nine people from the public attended the meeting, which was broadcast live on the city’s Cable Channel 23. The meeting will be rebroadcast this weekend. Although the meeting was open to the public, neither board was in session and could not vote or make any official decisions.

In the past, the city and county boards have met publicly only on rare occasions, but this was the third time the boards have met since the new city administration took office in July.

Other topics that came up during the meeting included fees paid by the city to have the county collect city taxes, jail space, and putting the county board meetings on the city’s television channel. Leyens also challenged the supervisors to take out a bond issue to invest money in the community.

Both boards have regular meetings scheduled for Monday morning.