Marshall County is putting the finishing touches on its centralized emergency dispatch service. Starting January 1, Marshall County will officially take over dispatch services for most areas in the county. A committee has been formed to help divide the cost of the service among the county, towns, and other local government units.
During Monday’s county commissioners meeting, county officials noted that most local governments have approved their contract with the county or soon will. However, Plymouth’s contract came back to the commissioners with a few amendments.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi told them that the city added a reference to the growth quotient set by the state, when it comes to increasing the city’s share of the cost. He said the amendment came at the recommendation of the Department of Local Government Finance. “So I added a little bit of some kind of language at the front of that to make it clear that it’s not limited to that but just, we’re going to keep that in mind,” he explained. “Otherwise, that would just do away with all the other factors that it says that we’re going to consider every year when looking at the rate.”
The commissioners noted that the change would have no effect on the city’s share of the cost in 2017 and would be up to the committee to consider for the 2018 contract. The commissioners voted to acknowledge the amendment, without approving or rejecting it.
Also during Monday’s meeting, the Marshall County Commissioners voted to renew an intergovernmental agreement, allowing Plymouth to use the services of County Plan Director Ralph Booker. Under the contract, Plymouth will pay the county just under $7,800 for planning services during the county’s business hours, a slight increase from 2016. Plymouth also contracts directly with Booker, for work he does for the city at other times.
