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Municipalities in Halifax County will see some savings in what they pay to fund the county 911 center.

Monday commissioners approved a new inter-local agreement in which the formula is based on taking police calls only.

Weldon, Enfield and Scotland Neck have signed off on the agreement, County Attorney Glynn Rollins told the board and the county expects to hear from Littleton. Roanoke Rapids has not yet signed off on the agreement.

Under the new formula Roanoke Rapids would see savings of $71,176; Weldon $19,671; Enfield $6,081; Scotland Neck $3,649; and Littleton $1,217.

In this fiscal year the city budgeted $330,527 and has budgeted $281,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, according to city Finance Director Leigh Etheridge.

Negotiations on the matter have been ongoing for the past several months, Rollins said in a memo to the board. “This proposed new inter-local agreement will incorporate a formula for determining each municipality’s share of local funding based on the call-taking for their respective police department only.”

The agreement also says the only part of operational expenses that the municipal governments will have to assist with financing will be the personnel costs of the 911 center.

According to the resolution the cost-sharing arrangements have been in place since 1997. “ … The undersigned units of local government now desire to amend, restate, and formalize their commitment to share the local funding of the Halifax County Central Communications Center in a manner consistent with the constitutional and statutory limitations set forth in the recitals of the proposed inter-local agreement.”

Under terms of the new agreement each municipality’s share of personnel costs will be determined by taking the percentage of call volume for the respective police departments for the previous calendar year and applying that percentage to the amount budgeted for personnel costs for the upcoming fiscal year.

The percentage of municipal police department call volume is calculated by dividing the total of all calls taken at the 911 center during the prior calendar year.

The county’s responsibility will be to provide prior calendar year call volume data including the percentage calculations no later than March 15 of each year of the agreement. The county will also provide the budget for personnel costs for the next fiscal year no later than April 15 and the municipalities will be billed on a quarterly basis.

The initial term of the new agreement is five years and will be automatically extended for five straight years unless there is an early termination.

The towns and the city of Roanoke Rapids can withdraw from the agreement by submitting a written notice to the county no less than 12 months before the end of the term.

If a party drops out it must have binding arrangements for another qualified 911 system.