The state of funding for 911 call services came up for debate at the June 1 Dickson County Commission work session held at the Dickson County Administrative Building in Charlotte.
Dickson County Mayor Bob Rial and 11th District County Commissioner Rusty Grove, who is also the mayor of Burns, discussed the issue of rising costs for 911 dispatch operations coupled with a shortfall in state funding. Grove explained that Burns, Dickson and White Bluff pay the county 911 service for each call made to 911 where county emergency responders are dispatched because the three municipalities have their own police departments. However, if deputies are dispatched to Charlotte, Slayden or Vanleer, even though they are incorporated areas that collect their own local sales taxes, Dickson County pays for the cost of each of their 911 calls.
“I don’t think that’s fair. I think it’s discriminatory towards our cities. I believe if you have a tax base and you’re going to act like a city, you should have to pay as fair a share as everybody else. [City of Dickson] Mayor [Don] Weiss looked into it, and the only way it can be fixed is by resolution through the county,” Grove stated…