Dispatch board recommends interlocal agreement with deletion of Section 16(h)

The Decatur County Dispatch Advisory Board voted to recommend that the county and city councils approve an interlocal dispatch-services agreement with the temporary removal of Section 16(h), the clause that specified a 50/50 revenue credit split.

The board said the change should be forwarded to the city council and county commissioners for formal approval. Chair said the state-level LIT/LID restructuring has been pushed from an expected 2028 implementation to 2029, and that the board can either adopt a one-year interim agreement, keep the current structure until state rules are settled, or split into separate executive and advisory boards. "We can potentially move forward with a year — probably a year interlocal agreement," the Chair said during deliberations.

A committee member argued for a one-year agreement to avoid prolonged uncertainty and to allow the newly formed executive and advisory boards to operate while state rules are finalized. The member noted that if the county adopts LIT during the term of the agreement and uses the revenue for PSAP support, the current draft required the county to apply revenue credits divided equally; that language was the target for removal. "If the county adopts a LIT and the revenue is used to financially support PSAP, the county shall apply that revenue credit divided equally," a committee member summarized while advocating deletion of that provision.

The board made a motion to recommend the interlocal agreement with Section 16(h) removed; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The meeting record does not show a roll-call tally. The motion’s text as recorded was to "recommend the interlocal agreement with the removal of 16 h." The board directed staff to circulate the editable document so legal and council staff can finalize language and to present the revised agreement to the city and county councils at their next meetings.

Why it matters: the interlocal agreement will shape how dispatch funding, responsibilities and governance are handled while the state finalizes multi-jurisdictional LIT/LID guidance. The deletion of Section 16(h) removes an explicit 50/50 credit allocation pending the state’s policy outcomes, a change the board said would reduce fiscal risk while councils review the final language.

Next steps: staff will prepare the revised agreement and present it to the city and county governing bodies for approval; the board agreed to revisit the arrangement in about one year or sooner if the state’s multi-jurisdictional guidance is finalized.