No sales tax, joint 911 dispatch may fail

Friday, July 17, 2015

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada City Manager JD Kehrman tells Nevada Rotary Club members Thursday why the one-half cent sales tax is needed to pay for the operation of the joint 911 dispatch center. Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail

Nevada Daily Mail

"The 911 Dispatch Center is too important to fail in Vernon County," Nevada City Manager JD Kehrman told the Nevada Rotary Club during its meeting Thursday.

And it is in danger of failing unless the proposed one-half-cent sales tax passes on Aug. 4, he said.

Without the sales tax to cover the operation of the center, there is no stable source of money, he said, adding that it is up to the political whims of the city, the county and to a lesser extent the Vernon County Ambulance District. And several times in recent years one or another entity has decided to reduce its contribution.

Kehrman said that Missouri is the only state left in the country that does not have a tax on cell phones to pay for 911.

In Missouri, he said that Vernon County is one of 15 counties that does not pay for a 911 center with some kind of tax.

Currently the city and the county contribute $200,000 each to the operation, with the ambulance district contributing less. The resulting money, which is around $450,000, leaves the dispatch center able to pay dispatchers $10 per hour, which is much less than surrounding centers, and there is no money for equipment upgrades or replacements, he said.

The low pay leads to difficulty retaining dispatchers.

The equipment currently in use came from the city and county dispatch centers and is obsolete. The two consoles are continuously in use and there really needs to be three consoles to spread out the work during peak hours.

Kehrman said the proposed one-half cent sales tax would provide for a stand-alone dispatch center, with an elected board that is free from ties to the city, county or ambulance district.

The sales tax will bring in around $850,000 per year, which will allow the center to raise the pay of the dispatchers to about $13 per hour, which is still below surrounding centers, but will help with the retention, he said.

It will also allow the center to add more dispatchers so there are three dispatchers on duty during peak hours, upgrade equipment and add medical dispatch capability.

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VOTE NO ON THE PROPOSED 1/2 CENT SALES TAX .Raising taxes is not an answer to any problem especially with the huge increases we are paying for our food,gas,utilities to mention a few increases that we do pay. Its kind of hypocritical for our city leader mentioning that the dispatcher are getting paid only $10/hr (which isn't bad pay for Nevada. I know some city employees are only getting paid $8/hour.I believe whats good for the goose is good for the gander,if you will. Maybe there is other agenda coming into play, a new police and fire station?

-- Posted by yogi on Fri, Jul 17, 2015, at 2:28 PM
I definitely agree, we should vote no on the proposed sales tax. First off, the people need proof as to what exactly will be done with all of this new money. The thought of raising the wages for dispatchers is absolutely ludicrous. Their wages are better than most in Vernon County, exactly what makes them think they deserve to be paid more? Have they earned this increase in pay by earning a college degree? Not saying that their job isn't stressful, because I am sure it is, but what makes them think that they deserve to make more money than the people that go out and actually fight the danger/evil that requires their services to begin with? Our police, firefighters and paramedics barely get by with their wages, but let's raise the wages for those that sit comfortably and safe behind their desks. While I'm sure that they do have some outdated equipment, I believe they are trying to scare us into voting the way they want us to vote. Seriously, think long and hard about your decision.

-- Posted by Cheetah07 on Wed, Jul 22, 2015, at 3:12 PM
It must not be working so throw more money at it. That's the American politician way. Not being a business traffic money generating operation, it will be just a matter of time when more money will be needed. No sunset on the proposal because this "improved" system will ALWAYS need more money and updates as so it goes in the electronic world. Systems become outdated very fast, and upgrades are always needed.

-- Posted by thestirrer on Tue, Jul 28, 2015, at 10:10 AM

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