MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — Mountain Home has reached a new 5-year dispatch services agreement with Elmore County, ending nearly two years of uncertainty after the county canceled its previous contract with the city.
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The deal, approved at the Elmore County Commissioners meeting on August 21, covers dispatch services including the handling of non-emergency calls. The agreement came just weeks before the previous contract was set to expire in September.
Councilman Scott Harjo said the stakes were high throughout the negotiation process.
"This was an incredibly stressful time for members of the council, and I'm sure the members of the commission," Harjo said.
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The dispute began in 2024 when the city missed a payment deadline, prompting the county to send a termination letter. The county gave two years' notice before ending services, which kept dispatch operations running through the September expiration date.
Harjo said reaching a new agreement was a priority.
"This was a public health and safety concern for all of us, so it was really important for us to get back to some level of agreement," Harjo said.
The new agreement sets the annual cost at $90,000, up from about $68,000 under the previous contract. That amount will increase 5% each year, reaching about $109,000 by 2031.
Two commissioners voted in favor of the deal. Commissioner Crystal Rogers voted against it, arguing the city should pay more for the service. Commissioner Al Hofer said that concern came too late in the process.
"I'm not disagreeing with what she came up with, but it's a matter of timing, and I can't go with that," Hofer said.
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Harjo said the increased cost will not fall on Mountain Home taxpayers.
"This money is budgeted for in our annual budget session," Harjo said.
Harjo said the alternative — building a standalone dispatch center with new technology, specialized staff and extensive training — could have cost millions more.
"Ultimately it's better financially for the citizen taxpayer to have a partnership that costs a reasonable amount like we struck on," Harjo said.
Harjo said the city has worked to repair its relationship with the county over the past two years, including reaching agreements on an Elmore County Ambulance District and development impact fee arrangements.
“A city and county joint venture where within the city we can collect EMS development impact fees on behalf of the county or require that they are collected," Harjo said. "Which intergovernmental agreements of that nature are pretty rare at this point, but we made a lot of headway in that.”
The city has already set aside the money in its new budget, and the contract includes firm payment deadlines.
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