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The Marionville and Aurora governing boards officially approved the contract for dispatching and jail services last week and, this week, have verbal approval of the endeavor from the Lawrence County Commission.
The Marionville 911 calls will be dispatched from Aurora once the final transfer happens within the phone companies involved. In addition, individuals arrested by Marionville officers will be booked into the jail at Aurora.
Marionville has agreed to pay Aurora an annual fee of $6,930 payable in four quarterly payments, the same process it has been doing for the county. Should Lawrence County officials release the 911 telephone tax for Marionville, that amount will divert to Aurora in lieu of the annual payment.
Sam Goodman, county commissioner, reported earlier the revenue from the tax stays with the county per a ballot measure in 1995.
However, during a meeting on October 19, commissioners and city officials talked about a possible consolidation of 911 services within the county.
Present for the meeting were county commissioners Sam Goodman, Joe Ruscha and Rodney Barnes and Gary Emerson, clerk; City Manager Tony Stonecypher, Police Chief Richard Witthuhn and City Attorney John Woodard representing Aurora; and Mayor Bob Duda, Police Chief Mark Webb and Fire Chief Seth Forrester from Marionville.
In the meantime, Woodard will prepare an intergovernmental agreement for Aurora and Lawrence County officials to sign. In turn, county officials will be able to notify the phone company about transferring the calls.
The additional dispatching duties in Aurora will require no additional employees nor equipment, according to Witthuhn.
“Safety is all that matters,” commented Goodman as the leaders talked about the transfer of services.
Goodman noted economics is a big issue with the 911 system, especially as the number of land lines diminish and the state being the only one in which there is no 911 tax on cellular phones.
“We need to go with the best possible source to help the people,” said Duda in explaining that 10 to 30 seconds can make difference on a call for emergency help.
The Marionville and Aurora governing boards officially approved the contract for dispatching and jail services last week and, this week, have verbal approval of the endeavor from the Lawrence County Commission.
The Marionville 911 calls will be dispatched from Aurora once the final transfer happens within the phone companies involved. In addition, individuals arrested by Marionville officers will be booked into the jail at Aurora.
Marionville has agreed to pay Aurora an annual fee of $6,930 payable in four quarterly payments, the same process it has been doing for the county. Should Lawrence County officials release the 911 telephone tax for Marionville, that amount will divert to Aurora in lieu of the annual payment.
Sam Goodman, county commissioner, reported earlier the revenue from the tax stays with the county per a ballot measure in 1995.
However, during a meeting on October 19, commissioners and city officials talked about a possible consolidation of 911 services within the county.
Present for the meeting were county commissioners Sam Goodman, Joe Ruscha and Rodney Barnes and Gary Emerson, clerk; City Manager Tony Stonecypher, Police Chief Richard Witthuhn and City Attorney John Woodard representing Aurora; and Mayor Bob Duda, Police Chief Mark Webb and Fire Chief Seth Forrester from Marionville.
In the meantime, Woodard will prepare an intergovernmental agreement for Aurora and Lawrence County officials to sign. In turn, county officials will be able to notify the phone company about transferring the calls.
The additional dispatching duties in Aurora will require no additional employees nor equipment, according to Witthuhn.
“Safety is all that matters,” commented Goodman as the leaders talked about the transfer of services.
Goodman noted economics is a big issue with the 911 system, especially as the number of land lines diminish and the state being the only one in which there is no 911 tax on cellular phones.
“We need to go with the best possible source to help the people,” said Duda in explaining that 10 to 30 seconds can make difference on a call for emergency help.
