The Rio Arriba County/Española E-911 Board approved a budget July 30 with 15 percent of the anticipated revenue highly questionable, if not doubtful.
The Board has a perennial problem because Santa Fe County refuses to contribute anything to a budget that supports emergency services across the most populated area of north Santa Fe County. They pulled their funding three years ago and won’t even communicate with Rio Arriba County officials on the issue.
With no communication with Santa Fe County, it’s difficult to determine what the problem is that leads them to not fund the northern part of Santa Fe County. It defies logic, however, northern Santa Fe County residents are always treated differently than their more affluent counterparts in Nambé, Tesuque and neighborhoods in between.
One would hope Henry Roybal would advocate for the people in his district, who pay those Santa Fe County taxes and would like more service from that county. Our experience trying to reach him or Santa Fe County Manager Katherine Miller was that they’re too busy to discuss the matter.
The other elephant in the room, or absent from the E-911 meeting room, was Rio Arriba County Manager Tomas Campos or his number two Leo Marquez. Campos sent the E-911 Board a letter in May stating the County would no longer distribute to E-911 the $900,000 (or 98 percent) collected in tax for E-911 and other County health operations. He said the County needed to direct more toward County health operations and equipment.
The two budget options presented at the June meeting included Rio Aribba County distributing $650,000 of the tax and contributing $124,300 in one option and $62,172 in the other. The different contributions were reflective of eliminating E-911 positions to make up for the lower revenue.
By the end of the June meeting Campos was leaning toward the County making the $124,300 contribution but nothing was firm.
The lack of Rio Arriba County representation at the all-important July 30 meeting was either a vague message or a delaying tactic. Perhaps it was a calendar issue.
The Board voted for the third option that would give all E-911 employees a $2-an-hour raise. This option has Rio Arriba County contributing $91,449. As E-911 Co-Director Joshua Archuleta said at the meeting, it’s difficult to keep the Center operating and hold on to good people at $10-an-hour.
If readers got a look at the unvarnished Computer Automated Dispatch, they would agree E-911 workers need a lot more money to deal with a public that feels entitled, are out of touch with reality, drunk, high and mostly simply unable to handle problems of their own making.
One of the most routine calls dispatchers have is “someone is driving on my street.” Another favorite is “someone is looking at me.” Then there is the unwanted person. These are usually homeless people, vagrants, panhandlers, those under the influence of something or people with mental issues.
“My child/teen/wife/husband won’t behave,” is another. We’re not sure what a dispatcher or cop is supposed to do with that.
Fast food places call a couple times a day reporting someone won’t leave the drive-thru because they’re mad about their order, want a refund, are passed out or are panhandling.
No one at E911 makes enough money to deal with the public with which they must deal.
However, this budget is not on firm ground and the promised raises could be in jeopardy if E-911 Board leaders don’t get a firm commitment from both counties. It’s a revenue shortfall of $136,000, or 15 percent of the budget. More than raises and eliminated positions are at risk.
We’ve not seen a balance sheet so don’t know if the Center has a reserve or if it operates by monthly distributions from members and the Rio Arriba County Gross Receipts Tax.
Communication is in order; the sooner, the better.