Council approves amending comm center agreement

Sidney City Council Tuesday approved amending its interlocal cooperation agreement with Cheyenne County for the Emergency Communications Center.

Discussions were held recently between J. Leef, city attorney, and Paul Schaub, county attorney, about the agreement, Leef reported.

Several needed updates to the contract were proposed.

“It still talks about teletypes and things we no longer have. It was revamped to take that out,” Leef said. “It also addresses several things that really hadn’t been dealt with in the initial agreement, including the rotation of the chair person and performance evaluations, and who was responsible for the evaluations of the director.”

Ed Sadler, city manager, said he would like to see an inventory done.

“Since we’re the owners of two-thirds of it, we would like a better accounting of it,” he said.

Sadler also questioned the extent of the city’s financial participation.

“The city is 65 percent of the population of the county. We comprise about 65 percent of the calls, too,” Sadler said. “The city residents all the 65 percent and then they pay 65 percent of the 35 percent too because they also pay county tax.”

He added, “You end up with citizens of the city paying twice.”

The communications center provides services for all public entities in Cheyenne County. Its affairs are overseen by an authority board comprising one Cheyenne County commissioner, the Cheyenne County sheriff, Sidney chief of police, Sidney city manager and a Cheyenne County citizen.

With the proposed amendments approved by the Sidney City Council, the changes will go before the Cheyenne County Commissioners at their next regular meeting.