By JOE MAY | The Southern Standard
Paying $30,000 per year for dispatch services under the new state-mandated consolidation of all 911 centers is too much of a burden for his small city, Caddo Valley Mayor Joe Jackson told members of the Clark County Quorum Court Monday evening.
Dispatch services currently being handled by the sheriff’s office and the Arkadelphia Police Department will be merged and housed on the second floor of the old county jail in the space occupied by the emergency services coordinator. The move is being mandated by a state law passed a few years ago calling for consolidation of dispatch centers.
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Jackson said that originally he was approached by county Judge Troy Tucker and was told Caddo Valley’s portion would be $80,000. When he said he told Tucker the city did not have the money, the amount was later reduced to $30,000.
Expressing his thanks for the reduction in cost, Jackson said the city still couldn’t afford the extra cost. He noted that several users of the dispatch system — Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University, as well as the hospital and the various fire departments, did not have to pay anything for dispatching.
Currently, the cost of the dispatch not covered by state funds is divided up with the county paying 50%, Arkadelphia 40%, Caddo Valley 5% and Amity and Gurdon 2.5% each. Noting the populations of the cities, Jackson said he thought Caddo Valley’s share should be the same as Amity and Gurdon.
“The little cities have no say the way [the 911 board] is now.”
Noting that his city has had to cut 24-hour police coverage in order to keep salaries competitive, the mayor said the extra $30,000 for dispatch services would be hard to come by.
Admitting that he realized the cost share was based on call volume, Jackson said Caddo Valley is “unique” due to its location and the fact that it does a lot of extra work outside the city limits including river rescue, lake rescue and often Caddo Valley officers are the first to respond to state police requests on the interstate.
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Jackson suggested that, as he had heard the dispatchers would be paid more than Caddo Valley police officers, perhaps an adjustment could be made in salary to lower the city’s cost. He also complained that he was not included in the planning of the dispatch center.
“They just asked me if we were in or out,” he said, adding that he objected to the way the 911 board will be comprised. Arkadelphia and Clark County will each have three votes on the board, leaving only one vote apiece for Caddo Valley, Amity and Gurdon.
Jackson said it would be more fair if each city had one vote each. He noted that if Arkadelphia and the county wanted control of an issue, all they would have to do is convince one of the smaller cities to vote with them.
“The little cities have no say the way it is now,” he commented.
Sheriff Jason Watson, asked to comment on the issue, agreed that in going through the number of calls, Caddo Valley had the third largest dispatch volume. Jackson agreed, but noted it was because of the city’s location and helping out with calls outside the city. Watson disagreed, saying that since the county is covering for Caddo Valley several hours a week without charge, “it works out.”
Regarding dispatching for the universities and the hospital, Watson said most of the calls actually go through the schools’ safety offices or, in the case of the hospital, are transferred over to the ambulance service.
Tucker agreed, saying the numbers go by radio traffic, not necessarily the number of calls received. The judge noted that the system’s budget is the first one and if the amount being asked are too high, the cities will be credited for the next year based on budget surplus.
Tucker said that on Dec. 3, 2024, the equipment will be installed in the new dispatch center. The new center is slated to go live on Dec. 18, but before that can happen the court will have to craft an ordinance. If Caddo Valley does not agree by that time, the city will be left out, he said.
No decision was reached in the matter.
In other business related to law enforcement, Watson addressed the court, saying that a group known as the Jail Justice Assessment Committee will be arriving this week to spend the next few days looking at ways to improve the local facility. The sheriff said the group, based out of Washington, D.C., travels the country assisting and making recommendations for approving detention centers. He said the group wants to meet with the court on Thursday as they wrap up their time in Arkadelphia.
Tucker said there would have to be a special-called meeting, open to the public, in order for the group to meet with the court. After some discussion, it was decided that the meeting would be set for 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. The judge said it would simply be an information meeting, with no action planned.
The court next heard a quarterly report from Shelley Short, CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Clark County. Short’s report included:
• Work under the direction of Kingwood Forestry is being done at the business park site on W.P. Malone Drive. Short said the area is being cleared of timber and will be platted and rezoned to allow for commercial use. She said she hopes to see the park populated by light industrial and some commercial businesses.
• The EDCCC has purchased 60 acres near the Georgia-Pacific mill in Gurdon and plans on developing a transload facility in conjunction with Arkansas Midland Railroad.
• The EDCCC has been awarded a grant of more than $1 million to develop the county’s super site in Gum Springs — the site originally proposed for Sun Bio — and with that in mind, she said the site has been renamed the South Arkansas Mega Site.
• Several companies have reached out and are interested in site visits, Short said.
In other business, the quorum court:
• Passed three ordinances: a clean-up appropriations ordinance, an ordinance setting up a 911 Reserve Fund and a measure approving the county’s annual 5-mill tax.
• Heard Tucker say that the county will be demolishing an old house it recently purchased on South 4th Street that had been burned out. They will also be tearing down the former library annex building on Clinton Street, he said.