911 oversight board begins sales tax talks

At the April 6 meeting of the 911 Oversight Board, the group began strategizing about a possible sales tax issue to fund the Northwest Regional Communications Center and other 911 emergency dispatch expenses.

The current 911 emergency telephone tax is on landlines throughout the county. There are fewer of these each year so the tax revenue only covers about 1/4 of the total expenses. Three governmental entities, City of Maryville, Nodaway County and Nodaway County Ambulance District, finish the finances of the dispatch services with a draw from their general revenue.

The original memorandum of understanding (MOU) will expire on December 31, 2023. The governing board voted to extend the current MOU for a year. A new MOU is being drafted by a city attorney that would address the ending of the landline tax and instead speak to the upcoming tax issue.

State statute allows one cent of a sales tax; however the current expenses of the operation, $900,000 annually, would only require approximately 3/8ths of a cent. The board discussed what would best serve the future of the dispatch center with regular equipment replacement and higher personnel costs. Plus they spoke to the ballot issue acceptance from the voters.

Three-eighths of a cent would equal $1.1 million in the current purchasing climate while one-half of a cent would equal $1.4 million.

The state law also speaks to an initial board of seven that would consist of three from the city, three from the county and one from the ambulance district.