Johnson County weighs costs of new dispatch center

A central Indiana county's move to consolidate five emergency dispatch centers into one is raising concerns about how some communities will pay their share without raising taxes.

Johnson County plans to establish the new emergency dispatch center by the end of 2014 in the basement of the sheriff's office. The county has to pay to remodel the basement and cover annual operating costs, including salaries and utilities.

County officials want to pay for the center with money already collected in taxes, according to the Daily Journal. But officials in communities like Bargersville that don't already have dispatch services say they won't be able to pay for the center without a tax increase.

Johnson County 911 Executive Director Mike Watkins said one option being considered is an increase in the income tax, which would bring in about $8 million a year. Members of the county council oppose such a move.

Another option is for communities to pay for the center based on the number of 911 calls made from their areas, Watkins said. He said that approach might be the fairest because it would reflect how many resources each community uses.

Emergency officials hope to have an idea next month of how much each community would pay based on call volume. Officials will use the numbers of calls from previous years to come up with a figure, Watkins said.

If communities split the costs, local officials will have to decide whether the cities, towns and county pay for the center's costs or the police and fire departments pay for them, Watkins said.

Part of the operating costs will be paid for with 911 fees, which are charged monthly to cellphone and land-line phone bills. Johnson County will receive $1.6 million in 911 fees per year for the next three years.

But the rest of the money needed to run the center will have to come from other sources.

Bargersville Fire Chief Jason Ramey said smaller communities will have to either cut costs or ask the state for permission to increase property taxes.

He thinks voters should be told about the income tax option and allowed to decide whether to approve a tax increase.

"Somebody's got to pay for it out of taxes, either property taxes or income tax," Ramey said.