Officials Object To Proposed Dispatch Service Charge

A county government plan to charge cities for law enforcement dispatching through the sheriff’s office has drawn the objection of city representatives.

In its proposed 2008-2009 budget, Van Zandt County is considering a fee of $500 per month — $6,000 annually — for dispatching to cities that rely on the sheriff’s office 9-1-1 center for that service.

The fee, if approved by county commissioners, would affect the cities of Edgewood, Grand Saline, Van and Wills Point. The city of Canton has its own dispatcher.

Tuesday morning at a public hearing on the proposed county budget, Grand Saline City Administrator Stephen Ashley decried the move as "taxation without representation."

"We’re all having shortfalls as we prepare new budgets," Ashley said. "We’re all looking for ways to raise more revenue, but city residents are already paying county taxes."

Ashley also cited a pair of previous state attorney general opinions — both concluding that cities may not charge fees to raise revenues — in expressing his thought that counties were no different in that sense.

Van Zandt County Judge Rhita Koches argued that the county is bearing an expense and getting no cost relief from providing it. The county is also considering a fee to cities for housing prisoners serving out time for a Class C misdemeanor.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Virgil Melton Jr. added, "Many cities have their own dispatching. If not, you are depending on the county to provide that service.

"We have to try to offset the cost of what the county is doing for you. With this (revenue), the sheriff’s office could probably hire another dispatcher," Melton said.

However, Ashley countered that cities are often dispatched to calls in county areas where a city police officer could reach the scene faster.

He suggested Grand Saline and other affected cities might respond to the county dispatching fee with fees of their own for answering emergencies in the county or transporting those arrested on county warrants.

"We all have mutual aid agreements in place," Ashley said. "If the county begins charging a fee for dispatching, yes, we could provide our own dispatching or we could begin charging the county for mutual aid.

"I think you will find this will wind up a failed policy that is only going to hurt the county officers. I do not think this is going to be good for anybody," Ashley added.

Grand Saline Mayor Terry Tolar also spoke to the commissioners’ court, asking the county to "consider the (property tax) revenue generated by the cities."

Tolar later added that he was sympathetic to the financial plight the county was facing.

"This is a problem every community has in this area," he said.