Muscatine city, county may enact levy for emergency dispatching
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By Jennifer Meyer | Wednesday, December 26, 2007 |
MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine County taxpayers could face a new levy to support emergency dispatch services in the wake of an agreement between two county agencies.
The Muscatine County Joint Communications Commission unanimously approved billing costs this week for MUSCOM, the county’s shared communication center, through the county’s Emergency Management Commission. The pass-through billing lays a foundation for the city of Muscatine and Muscatine County to fund MUSCOM from an emergency tax.
“It is a mechanism that allows the elected bodies — the county board of supervisors, the city council — to then potentially have another option to pay for their contribution,” said A.J. Johnson, Muscatine city administrator.
Under an agreement reached when the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Department and Muscatine Police Department dispatch centers merged in September 2004, the city and county share capital expenses by dividing 45 percent of operating costs to the city and 55 percent to the county. Costs for providing the service are budgeted to increase 4.5 percent in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2008, raising the city’s contribution to almost $403,000 and the county’s to more than $492,000.
A levy could be used only to fund dispatch and disaster services and can’t be extended to support law enforcement, fire or emergency medical services. The billing agreement gives the city and county the option of paying all, part or none of their costs from an emergency tax levy, rather than from their general funds that finance the bulk of staff and services.
“If you don’t have it in place, you can’t use it,” Johnson said of the billing arrangement. “It does not force either party to use it, it just makes it available.”
Limited growth going into this year’s city budget — which forced operating cuts and refusal of new staff requests — prompted city administrators to offer the levy idea in October as a way to stretch the city’s general fund dollars.
Elected officials will determine whether to implement the tax during the budget process and won’t have to ask for voter approval in a referendum.
“I just think it’s a really good situation for us,” said Phil Fitzgerald, who represents the Muscatine City Council on the Joint Communications Commission. “If the city takes advantage of it, then that frees up some general fund dollars for us, but that’s a decision the City Council’s going to have to make in February."
The agreement also opens the possibility of a countywide emergency tax levy, eliminating what some feel is double-billing of Muscatine residents. City taxpayers currently pay a portion of the city’s share as well as the county’s, but a countywide levy would only assess the tax once based on valuation.
Wayne Shoultz, a county supervisor from Muscatine and representative on the Joint Communication Commission, said all county residents should be taxed equally because they all have the same access to the dispatch services.
County Supervisor Tom Furlong of Letts, also on the commission, said taxes should be based on demand.
“I’m willing to look at it,” he said of the countywide levy, “but I want to see where the calls are coming from.”
A countywide levy would require approval from a majority of the five members of the Board of Supervisors.
Cities in Scott County and the county also are setting up a joint emergency dispatching center, which will be funded by a countywide levy.
Jennifer Meyer can be contacted at (563) 262-0525 or jennifer.meyer@muscatinejournal.com.
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