Debate continues on jail contract; dispatch service fee still unsettled

    A jail contract between Chase County and the city of Imperial gained some ground toward acceptance by both entities, but one aspect remains unsettled—charging the city for dispatch service.
    At Monday’s council meeting and Tuesday’s commissioner meeting, the dispatch service fee took up much of the discussion.
    In May, the council discussed the proposed contract from the county that included an annual $40,000 fee for dispatch services. No action was taken.
    At a council meeting Monday, City Attorney Josh Wendell was directed on a 4-0 vote to counter the $40,000 fee with a $10,000 annual city payment for dispatch.
    That didn’t meet approval with the commissioners Tuesday, however.
    Commissioner Jacci Brown said they didn’t take a vote, but discussed another fee schedule that will be sent back to the city for dispatch services—$20,000 the first year, $30,000 the second and $40,000 each year after in a five-year agreement.
    City Clerk/Administrator Jo Leyland said if the county’s changes are received by Monday in an update, it will be discussed by the council at their 6 p.m. meeting that night.
    “Until we have the document from the county (with changes), I won’t know if it will be on Monday’s agenda,” Leyland said.

To read more on this and other stories, please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. https://etypeservices.com/Imperial%20RepublicanID359/