Troy dispatch dissolution discussed again

The residents of Troy are revisiting discussions on whether or not to keep the Troy Area Dispatch.

Although Troy District residents voted to keep the Troy Dispatch open a few years ago, people are still voicing their opinions on either side of the issue.

During a Sept. 14 county commissioners meeting, commissioners told the public that they are working with the county attorney to draft a Resolution of Intention to Dissolve for the Special District which will come to a vote for Troy District registered voters sometime in the future.

“We have strong opinions on both sides,” County Commissioner Troy District Representative Greg Larson said. “We have people who don’t want to pay for this service, and there are people on the other side that feel that the dispatch is an asset to our safety.”

On one side of the debate, some of the residents of the Troy District would like to see the dispatch stay open because they said it saves lives, provides a 24-hour safe haven and provides jobs for six residents. Additionally, some of the community members are asking why they would replace a system that works.

On the other side, some residents believe the dispatch is no longer needed because they’re convinced the new system would work and be cost-effective. Some of those individuals are also concerned with being overtaxed in the past by the dispatch, and believe that if they don’t live in Troy, they shouldn’t have to pay for services they’re not receiving.

The taxpayers of the Troy District have been debating the dissolution of the dispatch since 2014, when a group of Troy and Troy area residents came forward with the proposition to dissolve the Troy Area Dispatch. In 2014, residents voted to keep Troy’s dispatch by 60 or 70 percent, according to County Commissioner Mark Peck.

Support of the dissolution began in the end of 2013, when The Western News’ investigation revealed that Troy Dispatch collected $986,000 more in taxes than it was supposed to over the course of 15 years due to county budgetary oversight. According to public documents, the agency that was limited to 20 mills surpassed that authority for 12 out of 15 years since 1999, with an all-time high in the fiscal year of 2013-2014, where it it hit 56 mills. While the dispatch received more money than voters approved, the legality of the taxes come down to the 1996 statewide ballot measure Initiative 105, that, after amendments, allowed some districts operating under county oversight to receive floating mills to ensure consistency. At that time, Larson and County Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer told The Western News that the budgetary oversight was ultimately the county’s fault, and did not attribute the blame to the dispatch.

During a Sept. 14 county commissioners meeting, commissioners told the public that they are working with County Attorney Bernard Cassidy to draft a resolution of intention to dissolve for the special district.

If voted in, the intent to dissolve would go through a process of a designated period of time, Peck estimated that time to be around 90 days. If the resolution is passed, those who object to it may still be able to bring the resolution to an end by bringing 1,025 signatures within a 60-day period.

Kirk Kraft, Lincoln County emergency management director, briefed the public during the Sept. 14 meeting on the process they would put in place in the event the dissolution was passed.

“The system that the county has in place right now, if the Troy Dispatch or the Eureka Dispatch...should go down, we can dispatch resources in those areas with our repeater system,” Kraft said. “That is all in place. If something were to happen today, this minute, we can do that.“

For this particular case, he said that system would not be the best measure. Rather, a microwave relay station put up near the landfill area, according to Kraft, would be best. Kraft’s ballpark estimate of the tower’s cost is $167,000, and said that everything for the relay station is licensed and it would just be a matter of putting a plan together.

Henry (Hank) La Sala, who had spearheaded the dissolution campaign, carried a suitcase full of documents with him into the Sept. 14 meeting. La Sala lives four miles outside of the city of Troy. He said that for many years, the dispatch has not provided general fire, ambulance and law enforcement services for the entire district, but kept those services for the town itself, even though, La Sala said, 85 percent of the taxpayers funding Troy dispatch live outside city limits.

According to the June 8 County Commissioners meeting minutes, La Sala gave a presentation with supporting documentation that detailed why the dispatch was not necessary. La Sala said that the dispatch was necessary in 1996, but not now.

“All taxpayers in the TADD are being taxed twice for dispatch service, once for the Lincoln County Dispatch under the county Public Safety/Law Enforcement levy and second by the Troy Area Dispatch District Levy,” La Sala wrote in a prepared statement for that meeting.

The current yearly cost of the Troy dispatch, according to county budget reports, is $250,000, but has varied to up to $400,000.

On June 27, La Sala was informed that the county commissioners would take no action on the dissolution since only three people came out to show support. The commissioners told La Sala, that they would consider the discussion if 25 to 50 individuals would come out and support the dissolution.

Ten weeks after the June 8 meeting, on August 21, La Sala sent a letter to the county commissioners, informing them that, at the time, La Sala and other advocates for the dissolution found 48 supporters for closing the dispatch. The commissioners set the meeting on Sept. 14 and by the time of the meeting, the pro-dissolution team had gathered over 110 letters of support.

Despite the 110 letters, some believe that most of the residents of the Troy District want to keep the dispatch.

Bonnie Larson, owner of Larson Lumber in Troy and part of the Lincoln County Study Commission, said during the public comment section after the meeting that 97 percent of the people she’s spoken to have voiced their support for keeping the dispatch open. Bonnie, a dispatch supporter herself, said that the dispatch has saved lives.

“[Those who are pro-dissolution] just don’t want to pay for it,” Bonnie said after the meeting.

Some attendees of that meeting were also skeptical if the new microwave-relay system will work, despite being insured that it would work by the commissioners. Some volunteer firefighters at the meeting voiced their concerns that if the system doesn’t work, they may miss a call during the event of a fire.

While it wasn’t addressed at the meeting, many community members have brought up in past meetings that the dispatch provides other 24-hour services to the community including being a safe-haven for abuse victims and a communicator with the buses. Larson said that those services may not necessarily go away if the dispatch is dissolved. Considering these services are only accessible to district residents residing inside the city of Troy, Larson said that the city can pay for those services and not the entire district.

“What has been suggested, if they want a local dispatch center for a safe-haven for kids and communication with the buses, then [the city] can provide that themselves,” Larson said.

Some attendees at the meeting voiced that they had already voted to keep Troy Dispatch open two years ago. Peck added that votes are never “forever,” because technology and information is constantly evolving.

Commissioner Larson said on Friday that whether or not the resolution is passed, the educational meetings and discussions will take place to keep transparency on the issue.

“People of Troy will have a chance to be informed.” Larson said. “We want to make sure that the people are educated on the facts for both sides basically, and that they have the opportunity to get information to make the right choice.”

As of Monday, the commissioners are still waiting on legal advice on which direction to proceed.

Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.