Perryville officials watching 911 funding discussion
Published 8:17 am Wednesday, May 10, 2017
By KENDRA PEEK and BEN KLEPPINGER
advocate@amnews.com
Perryville officials are aware they may soon be asked to contribute additional funding for the county’s 911 dispatch center.
Perryville City Council heard from Fire Chief Anthony Young Thursday night about the funding concerns for the 911 center. Young said the council needs to be aware of the conversations going on between Danville and Boyle County.
“Perryville is going to be asked to contribute more than we are now. I don’t want it to come as a shock to the city if — and when — it happens,” he said.
This fiscal year, Perryville contributed $700 for the 911 call center.
A City of Danville budget worksheet generated in late April calls for Perryville to contribute $695 for the 911 center’s operations in fiscal year 2017-18.
According to a preliminary budget from the City of Danville, the cost of running the center is expected to top $1 million in the coming fiscal year, if officials continue with a plan to implement “emergency medical dispatch” service.
Currently, Junction City, Perryville and Boyle County all provide some funding to Danville, which operates the 911 center under the supervision of the police department, as required by state law.
But there is currently no document defining how much each entity should be providing. Danville and Boyle County officials have been talking about drawing up an interlocal agreement that would define how much different governmental entities would be responsible for funding.
In an email recently, Danville City Manager Ron Scott said he anticipates that the two largest players, Danville and Boyle County, would work out some details first before going to Perryville or Junction City to discuss a possible interlocal agreement.
At Thursday’s meeting, Young encouraged Perryville Council members to begin a conversation with other officials about the funding.