FORT SMITH -- The Sebastian County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council discussed a proposed interlocal agreement Thursday for radio dispatch services.
The proposed agreement is meant to address a staffing shortage in the Sebastian County sheriff's office in relation to some of the services it provides to 10 cities.
The agreement states that the sheriff's office has provided these cities, which do not include Fort Smith, with radio dispatch services using money from the county general fund and no reimbursement from the cities.
The sheriff radio dispatch center is understaffed by two full-time dispatcher positions, which are required to provide effective services. In addition, the cities it serves have grown both in size and scope of operations, resulting in increased radio traffic and required dispatch staff services.
The agreement states that the general fund cannot and should not bear the cost of all the dispatch employees that are required. Instead, funding for the two full-time dispatcher positions would be provided by the 10 cities, with the payments from each city being determined on a percentage basis in relation to populations established by the 2010 census.
For example, Greenwood, having the highest population of the bunch at 8,952 people, would pay $27,948 while the town with the lowest population, Midland at 325, would pay $1,015.
The total proposed contribution by the 10 cities for this purpose comes to $62,674, the agreement states. This is subject to annual adjustment by the Sebastian County Quorum Court for salary and benefits.
The annual 2019 cost for two full-time communications deputy positions is $78,454, according to the agreement. However, 20% of the dispatchers' salaries and benefits would be reimbursed by the Sebastian County 911 Board for a total of $15,691. The cities served by the sheriff radio dispatch center are Barling, Bonanza, Central City, Greenwood, Hackett, Hartford, Huntington, Lavaca, Mansfield and Midland.
Sheriff Hobe Runion said that although it is difficult to go to the cities, the reality is that the sheriff's office cannot do what it is doing for 10 cities. If the department does not come up with a way to hire more personnel, there are certain services it would have to stop offering.
Runion said, for instance, that although the sheriff's office would still answer and dispatch any emergency calls, it would stop paying for National Crime Information Center queries for traffic stops and not answer non-emergency calls when there is not somebody out, in addition to other services.
"In other words, if somebody calls and Johnny's bicycle got stolen, well, they could wait until a police officer comes on the next day," Runion said.
Essentially, Runion said he would try to eliminate as much as possible to be able to properly provide the emergency services the sheriff's office is required and obligated to do and would continue to carry out. The sheriff's office, according to him, needs help.
"There is not an obligation for the sheriff's office to provide these services," Runion said. "I think we started off doing it a long time ago and we just kept going, and I want to do it."
Lavaca Mayor Hugh Hardgrave asked Runion how he would hire the two full-time dispatchers should some of the cities listed in the interlocal agreement not participate in it. Runion responded he is going to do the best he can.
Sebastian County Judge David Hudson said while he understood the amounts each city would contribute as part of the interlocal agreement are all relative to the size of their budgets, the amounts for the small communities are "pretty minimum" when considering the services they are getting and the impact on their operations.
Hudson said he, Runion and Assistant County Administrator Jeff Turner would do their best to go to future meetings held by the cities named in the interlocal agreement to answer questions about it.
Runion said the sheriff radio dispatch center currently has nine dispatchers and one supervisor.
State Desk on 11/01/2019