SCOTT CITY WANTS TO KEEP 911 DISPATCHING

SCOTT CITY -- The city council on Monday passed a resolution expressing its interest in keeping the city's dispatching facilities for emergency 911 calls.

The resolution will be delivered to the Scott County Commission Thursday morning.

The commission is on the verge of placing an issue on the Nov. 8 ballot that would authorize a telephone surtax to provide 911 service throughout the county. The county commission has until next week to place the issue on the ballot.

One proposal being considered is operating a joint 911 system with New Madrid County, which also is considering placing the issue on the November ballot. Should the issue pass in both counties, a central dispatching point based in Sikeston will be one of the considerations for the committee that would establish the system.

Scott City's resolution also asks that all funds collected within the city limits for a county-wide 911 system be used to maintain and upgrade equipment belonging to the city and to train and staff personnel for the local operation.

The resolution notes that residents here approved a telephone surcharge in November 1991 for 911 service. The city has contracts with the Kelso and Commerce to provide the service in exchange for the receipt of the surtax from those towns. The 911 service here went into effect last November.

Shirley Young, president of the chamber of commerce and former mayor, said a group of local citizens who want to keep Scott City's 911 dispatching service gathered last week in Oran. Young said the group had a lot of questions.

"We very strongly support county-wide 911," said Young, who was instrumental in bringing the service here. "However, it only makes sense for us to keep our own dispatching."

Young suggested the city council pass the resolution and present it to the commission by Thursday.

"If we don't want central dispatching, then an agreement must be presented to the commission before it places 911 on the ballot," Young said. "We appreciate 911. We know how much it means to our community."

City attorney Frank Siebert told the council that the city's surcharge on telephone bills would end if the 911 issue is passed in Scott County. The 15 percent surcharge on basic phone bills would then be collected and disbursed by the agency governing 911 service either in Scott County or in a joint agreement with Scott and New Madrid counties.

Young said the surcharge would remain $1.13 here. She said the rate has been estimated at $1.37 in Sikeston.

Her husband, Lloyd, said, "If we go in Thursday morning with what we want, then we should get it."

Ward 1 Council Member Brenda Moyers also favors county-wide 911, but wants to ensure that Scott City doesn't lose its dispatching service.

In other business, the council set the property tax rate for this year at $1.45 per $100 of assessed valuation, one cent higher than 1993. The breakdown for each fund: general, 42 cents; debt service, 84 cents; parks, 14 cents; and city cemetery, 5 cents.