[08/12/02]An analysis of funding for Warren County’s 911 dispatching center backs the city board’s argument about “double dipping” of city taxpayers, but concludes that the funding formula is justified by center use.

The report submitted by Paul Ingram, Rusty Hawkins and Bryan Brabston looked at the budget for the countywide emergency dispatch center created 12 years ago, its funding and how Vicksburg and Warren County split supplemental costs not covered by telephone surcharges.

A year ago, the two governing boards were not able to agree on a formula and left the matter unresolved through earlier this year.

The study was commissioned by the city to obtain a neutral analysis. Ingram, Hawkins and Brabston were selected by the 911 commission which consists of city and county representatives. Ingram is an architect, Hawkins is a certified public accountant with extensive tax experience and Brabston is a retired Exxon executive.

The report shows that 80 percent of the dispatches handled by 911 staff come from municipal homes and businesses and that municipal taxpayers are contributing 80 percent of operation’s budget through their telephone bills, allocations from the city’s budget and city residents’ share of taxes they pay to the county treasury.

Mayor Laurence Leyens, who has said city residents are in effect being billed three times for 911 services, said he accepted the report’s accuracy, but said there were other considerations. Based on the study’s findings, he said, the city will ask for a 65-35 percent split of the $389,000 deficit in next year’s 911 budget. “It’s not fair, but it’s moving in the right direction,” Leyens said.

A 65-35 split would more closely mirror population than 80-20.

For years, some city residents, including Warren County District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon, have complained that city taxpayers are funding the majority of the county’s budget through property taxes while getting few services. The report shows that 63 percent of the county’s funding comes from city taxpayers.

In an average budget year, the city and county have funded a $470,000 deficit for 911, according to the report. The city contributed 70 percent, or $329,000, and the county 30 percent, or $141,000.

Taking into account that city residents fund 63 percent of Warren County’s property taxes, the report concluded that city taxpayers accounted for $89,000 of the county’s share and fund a total of $418,000 or 80 percent of the 911 budget deficit.

Leyens said the report did not take into consideration that many county residents work, shop and eat inside the municipal limits and also use Vicksburg emergency agencies. He has argued that since 911 service is the same inside the municipal limits as it is outside the city, that all Warren County residents should pay equally for the service.

The way to do that, he said, is to have a flat levy, collected countywide, for the service.

“There’s no statistical difference and no expectational difference no matter who calls 911 or from where,” Leyens said.

A recent suggestion to fund the 911 deficit without city or county contributions was to fine homeowners with alarm systems for false 911 calls. The plan proposes charging $25 for every false alarm after the third call.

Leyens said the fine could add up to $150,000 to offset the deficit while reducing the number of false alarms.

Other funding for 911 comes from $1 surcharges for residential lines and $2 for businesses. Cell phone users are also assessed $1 per month.

Those rates were raised last year to the maximum amount allowed by state law.

Major expenses for the dispatch center are use and maintenance of the telephone database, staffing and equipment. This year’s budget for the year ending Sept. 30 has been $840,107, up about $80,000 from the average used in the study. The request for the new year will be $812,000.