Weiser, Washington County continue to negotiate contract for dispatch services

The city of Weiser continues to negotiate an annual payment for dispatch services with Washington County as budget-setting deadlines loom for both parties.
 In the latest round, members of the Weiser City Council on Monday balked at paying what they said was a 28 percent hike in the proposed payment of $115,000, plus a 3 percent annual increase, which was the most recent offer by the county.
 “Quite frankly, that seems a little high to me,” council member Larry Hogg said. “I’d like to hear from the county how expenses have gone up 28 percent to make this logical.”
 After 30 minutes of discussion on the issue, the council voted to make a counteroffer of $110,000 with a 3 percent annual increase. That is still a hike from the $90,000 the city has previously paid for dispatch services.
 The discussions between attorneys for the city and county started after the Weiser City Council in April voted to cancel the existing contract with Washington County for 911 dispatch services and start over on a new agreement.
 The 1992 agreement between the city and county for dispatch services provided by the sheriff’s office is valid until the end of September. There will be no interruption of dispatch services for Weiser police while the two parties come up with a new agreement.
 The old contract was tied to salaries paid to 911 dispatchers. When the sheriff’s office implemented a new wage schedule last year, it bumped up the city’s share of the emergency communications costs by an amount that was not budgeted, city officials said.
 Language in the new contract will provide for a fee-for-services arrangement and an annual increase to cover costs incurred by the sheriff’s office related to emergency communications.
 “We will know and they will know what the payment will be,” Mayor Diana Thomas said.
 The county sheriff bills the city on a monthly basis for dispatch personnel salary costs. The city is billed for half of the dispatch salaries based on actual hours worked. More than half of the calls for service that come through dispatch are WPD calls, county officials said.
 City officials said on Monday that the city pays half of the dispatch personnel salary costs, but the dispatchers are county employees. When they are not answering calls, they are working on sheriff’s department business and not for the city.  
 “Tieing it (the dispatch payment) to salaries doesn’t fit. We don’t get one-half of their time,” Thomas said.
 Council member Dan Randleman asked if other entities in the county are paying for dispatch services, such as fire departments, first responders and others in the county.
 “I think 28 percent is a tough pill to swallow. They should look for their money from other entities,” he said.
 It was noted at Monday night’s city council meeting that the city has to have a tentative budget by August and the back and forth offers and counteroffers can’t go on forever.
 The city council agreed to give the mayor the authority to sign a contract without bringing it back to the city council for approval.