County agrees to fund 911 equipment

Whitman County commissioners have signed an agreement with Whitcom, the county emergency 911 dispatch service, to help pay for installation of new equipment for 11 of the operator sites.

The agency handles emergency 911 dispatch services. It needs to replace equipment which includes licenses, core electronics and radio interface. Whitcom estimates the cost to replace the equipment at $400,000.

Whitman County Emergency Management Director Fran Martin talked to commissioners about the contract with Whitcom at a meeting last week.

Under a memorandum of understanding, the county agreed to reimburse Whitcom for two-thirds of the cost up to a maximum of $267,000. The agreement, which still has to go before the Whitcom board for approval, includes a clause in the contract which releases the county from the obligation if revenues from the county’s emergency communication tax assessment fall below a certain level.

The emergency communications revenue derives from the voter-approved levy which added one tenth of one percent to the sales tax. The tax is used for emergency communications projects in the county.

Another source comes from a state surcharge on telephone billings. The state sales tax and surcharge collections are reimbursed to the county from the state on a monthly basis. Last month, the two state payments totaled $70,820.

The agreement voids the county’s future obligation to the Whitcom project if the one-tenth of one percent sales tax revenue drops 35 percent or more below the amount generated in 2012.

Martin said the county is concerned about signing onto the obligation if the source of funds drops off.

“Our job is to protect the county,” she said. “If the source of funds goes away, then the county’s obligation should go away too,” she said.

Part of the concern, commissioners explained, was an anticipated drop-off in sales tax revenues with the conclusion of the wind turbine project which injected a big increase in overall county sales tax revenue last year.

According to Whitman County Treasurer Robert Lothspeich, the county’s one-tenth of a percent assessment for emergency services netted $724,530 last year when the turbines were installed, compared to $540,538 in 2011.

Lothspeich said 35 percent of the big 2012 sales tax year for the special assessment would be $253,585.

The agreement calls for the county to pay up to $267,00 over five years with the first sum due 60 days after receipt of final invoice costs on the project from Whitcom.

The second payment would be due Feb. 1 of next year.

Commissioner Dean Kinzer said the county is required by state statute to maintain emergency communications, but he also said he believes the county must protect itself from being responsible for the entire expense. of the Whitcom project.

Commissioners signed the agreement earlier this week.