Roanoke Rapids will continue to use the Halifax County 911 Center for the foreseeable future but will explore ways to reduce call volume, City Manager Joseph Scherer said this evening.

Discussion of the new funding formula approved by the county in April was discussed at this evening’s city council work session.

By the 2016-2017 fiscal year funding will be based strictly on call volume as a credit for population is phased out by 25 percent over the next four years.

This year the city is slated to pay $172,000 under the first credit reduction after paying $101,000 last year.

When the credit is abolished four years from now the city will have to pay $267,000.

“I recommend we go ahead with the agreement for this year and have discussions on how we can reduce call volume,” Scherer told council. “The cost is going to go up and we have to look at reducing call volume and look at other solutions to address this in the future.”

Scherer said following the meeting Roanoke Rapids will not consider going to its own dispatching system. “We’re just looking at call volume. We’re signing on for another year and will go from there to see if we can reduce call volume. For what we’re paying it’s still the most cost-effective means of responding to emergencies.”