County wants decision on communications center recommendation

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

After waiting since November on an answer to whether the county communications center should be moved from the Charles City City Hall to a new law enforcement center being proposed to be built near the courthouse, the Floyd County Board of Supervisors has decided to force the issue.

The board agreed Monday morning to call for a special meeting of the Floyd County Communications Board next Monday evening, Feb. 12, to make a decision on a recommendation.

Even after receiving the recommendation, the supervisors will still make their own decision whether to move the communications center or not, they said.

The communications center, which handles radio dispatch and 911 calls for Charles City police and fire, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, AMR Ambulance as well as law enforcement, fire departments and other emergency responders throughout the county, is currently operated out of City Hall and managed by the Charles City Police Department, although all the expenses for the department are paid by the county.

At a Communications Board meeting held last Thursday evening, the board for the second time tabled making a decision on a recommendation whether to move the dispatchers or keep them at City Hall.

At the supervisors meeting Monday, Linda Tjaden said, “It did not go the way I was hoping,” referring to the Thursday meeting. Tjaden is a county supervisor, the chairperson of the law enforcement center citizens committee and a member of the Communications Board.

“There was a little bit of derailed conversation that night that kind of took a different path,” she said.

Supervisor Mark Kuhn said he had a proposal, that he later put into the form of a formal motion.

“The Board of Supervisors needs a recommendation from the Communications Board before proceeding further with our plans to put a bond referendum on the ballot for the law enforcement center and needed courthouse renovations,” he said Monday.

Kuhn said “it’s apparent” based on information from Charles City Administrator Steve Diers and Police Chief Hugh Anderson that Charles City does not support moving the dispatchers.

“The decision on where to locate the countywide communications center rests solely in the hands of the Board of Supervisors,” Kuhn said. “The entire communications budget is funded by a county-wide levy on all the taxpayers in the county, that comes from Floyd County’s general fund tax levy.

“Ultimately, the government entity that pays all the bills gets to make the final decision, and we need to make that decision now,” he said.

Supervisor Doug Kamm said, “I wholeheartedly agree. We’re all trying to be nice, but ultimately it’s our decision; it comes from here.”

Kuhn’s motion directed Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Tjaden to call for a special meeting of the Communications Board to be held Monday night, Feb. 12, where all the parties concerned, including members of the public, would be given an opportunity to have their say, and a decision on a recommendation “will be made that night.”

The motion passed unanimously.

During discussion on the motion before the vote, Kamm said there may have been some concern because he had given an article to a Communications Board member about how some other counties are funding communications centers, including charging cities for dispatch services.

“It was just showing different ways it can be done,” Kamm said. “The thing that needs to be said is I’ve never heard anybody say a word that Floyd County would not provide dispatch for the city of Charles City.

“We don’t charge anyone for any dispatching, and I don’t think there is any intent that we’re going to charge the city of Charles City,” he said. “That needs to be plain and simple that we’re not going to do that.”

Kamm said, “Other than the physical location, the dispatch is not going to change — except only for the better, we hope.”

Tjaden said another concern has been the dispatchers, who currently work for the city, although their pay is reimbursed to the city by the county as part of covering the costs of the communications center.

“We care about the people just as much as they do,” Tjaden said. “I know that we can make that work, folding them under the county versus city. I have no concerns whatsoever. We absolutely would take that into consideration to make sure that we are equal, as best we can.”

Also at the meeting Monday, the county board discussed the law enforcement center citizens committee holding a kick-off meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday in the Courthouse assembly room, to plan the campaign for a bond referendum.

Kuhns said supervisors need to keep in mind that they cannot use county resources to advocate for passage of the referendum.

Tjaden said she is aware of that, and plans to step down as chairwoman of the committee as it begins campaigning in support of the referendum.

She said the group will discuss its formal recommendation to the supervisors to call for a bond referendum, how to hold meetings throughout the county to educate people about the issue, forming subgroups and other details.

IMPORTANT MEETINGS:

• Floyd County law enforcement center/jail committee meeting — 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the assembly room at the courthouse. This is being set as a public kick-off meeting to begin organizing the campaign to support passage of a bond referendum to construct a new law enforcement center and provide renovations to the courthouse.
• Floyd County Communications Board meeting — 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, council chambers in City Hall. Public meeting to discuss recommendation whether to relocated the communications center from City Hall to a new county law enforcement center.