The county 911 Board delayed action on deciding between two funding proposals for the 911 Center this evening.

The board agreed to look at other proposals suggested during the meeting held in Halifax.

“The history of this goes back a number of years,” said Roanoke Rapids City Councilman Greg Lawson, who requested permission to speak from the floor.

Lawson said, “I don’t think it’s fair for Roanoke Rapids to pay $100,000 more a year in addition to the $189,000 we’re paying now. If the call volume is down it means the workload is down. If Scotland Neck has no calls coming in it means less work.”

(The board’s next called meeting will be February 27 at 5:45 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room next to the Historic Courthouse in Halifax.)

Scotland Neck is the major reason the county is looking at other funding options because under the current system, one devised to prevent double taxation of municipalities; it is slated to pay nothing into the 911 Center this year.

The reasons Scotland Neck is paying nothing vary. Chief Joe Williams, who is also chair of the 911 Board, says it is because of new technology while rrspin.com reported today it is a matter of the police department circumventing the system.

Lawson maintained if the call volumes are dropping then the workload at the center should be adjusted.

Heather Joyner, communications supervisor for the county, told Lawson the volume of calls has not dropped but pinpointing the calls by area is difficult unless they are specifically 911 calls.

Lawson suggested that municipalities pay a minimum and that the 911 Center look for ways to reduce costs.

Halifax County Board of Commissioners Chairman James Pierce said he appreciated the dialogue on the matter. “The primary thing is looking at the safety of the officers, EMTs and firefighters. I would like for us to look at the suggestions made to see about instituting a minimum fee and see about better technology to track what we are doing.”

Pierce said all municipalities should live up to the original agreement that calls go through the 911 Center. “If there are (municipalities) looking for ways to circumvent the system then we have problems.”

Commissioners could make the decision, Pierce said, and will have to sign off on what the 911 Board chooses. “We can make a decision on our own and tell you what it’s going to be.”

Nancy Jackson, town administrator for Scotland Neck, termed the town as the “culprits of this crime.”

She said, however, “We’ve been fortunate we’ve been able to take advantage of technology. It just happened that way. It wasn’t a matter of trying to cheat anyone out of anything.”

Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Jeff Hinton suggested that Joyner bring 911 Center call records going back to 2007.

Roanoke Rapids City Manager Joseph Scherer said following the meeting he would withhold any recommendation to council until after next week’s meeting. “There’s nothing for me to recommend. I agree with looking at other options to assess the most equitable funding options.”