SCOTT, NEW MADRID COUNTIES WAITING FOR CONTRACT ON 911

BENTON -- Formal discussions on Scott and New Madrid counties' joint operation of a new Enhanced 911 Emergency Response System have been cut off.

The discussion is stalled as Scott City and Scott County wrangle over a contract the two entities signed prior to the Nov. 8 election.

That contract guaranteed Scott City could continue its own 911 system if voters approved a 15 percent surcharge on basic phone bills.

The contract also gives Scott City 20 percent of the representatives on any advisory committee formed to oversee installation of a new two-county system, something to which Scott County commissioners now object.

The county opposition stems from Scott City's insistence that it won't participate in the new 911 system, which is similar to a system Scott City already has.

Voters in both Scott and New Madrid counties overwhelming approved the E-911 surcharge, which will pay to implement the new service.

Mike Westrich, chief of the NBC fire department that serves the rural areas around New Hamburg, Benton and Commerce, and Drew Juden, division commander with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, have told Scott County commissioners that it would be inappropriate for Scott City to be represented on the planning committee since the city won't participate in the new system.

"We're trying to work out this problem with Scott City," said New Madrid County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lewis Recker, who was picked by both counties to draw up a proposed agreement for the joint operation.

Scott County's objections to the earlier contract with Scott City is the primary obstacle in drafting an agreement between Scott and New Madrid counties, Recker said.

"I hope we can sit down and negotiate this in a logical manner," he said. "Of course, we want to move on this."

Recker plans to meet soon with Scott City's attorney, Francis Siebert, to discuss the matter.

Scott City Mayor Larry Forhan and the city council want the provisions of the November contract enforced. Forhan has said Scott City is the second largest city in the two-county area and should be represented on any new advisory committee.

Both Scott and New Madrid counties already selected four representatives each to serve on the advisory committee, although Scott County is waiting for the inter-county agreement to be signed before officially naming its committee members.

The county likely will select Juden, Westrich, Brad Hahn of Benton, a maintenance specialist for the telecommunications department at Southeast Missouri State University, and Bill Holmes, a rural Oran farmer who uses computers extensively in his operation.

New Madrid's representatives are Ralph Barnwell Jr., Lilbourn Elementary School principal and an emergency medical technician with the New Madrid County Ambulance District; Glenn Gill of Portageville, manager of a Marston farm chemical company; Billy Harris, a farmer from Matthews; and Randall Ramsey, a farmer and the Parma mayor.

Bob Kielhofner, Scott County's presiding commissioner, said working out the details on continuing 911 service to Kelso and Commerce through Scott City is another important factor in the negotiations.

Kielhofner has suggested the advisory committee have a ninth member, who would be a commissioner from one of the counties.

Robert Hedgepeth, New Madrid County associate commissioner, said he doesn't object to a ninth member from one of the commissions overseeing the financing of the 911 system. A ninth member also would provide a tie-breaker if needed, he said.

Hedgepeth said that once the 15 percent surcharge begins, the counties will have 27 months to implement the E-911 system.