BENTONVILLE — Officials from throughout the county will discuss Tuesday how to handle emergency calls involving hazardous materials after the recent dissolution of the regional Hazardous Materials Response team.
The Benton County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council will discuss a proposed interlocal agreement at its meeting set for 10 a.m. in the Quorum Court room at the County Administration Building, 215. E. Central Ave.
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Hazardous Materials Response team included both Benton and Washington counties, along with Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, Bella Vista, Siloam Springs, Farmington, Gentry, Lowell and Beaver Lake. The group was administered by the NWA Metro Chiefs Association, which was created for that purpose. The regional team had served the area since 1989.
Chief Tom Jenkins of the Rogers Fire Department said the group’s inability to adapt to changing circumstances led to the decision by some agencies to leave the team. He announced Rogers’ decision to leave in March. Fayetteville and Springdale followed suit.
Jenkins said the proposed new agreement addresses his concerns, and he sees Rogers’ participation as the right course for the city.
“This one is more flexible and it’s a financially sound arrangement,” Jenkins said.
“The regional Haz-Mat team was created in the late 1980s and it didn’t adapt over time,” Jenkins said. “Very few things changed on the team. That was a large part of our frustration, the inertia on the team kept it from adapting to the needs of Rogers.”
Jenkins said the old arrangement was financed through a per capita assessment of cost to the members, regardless of their share of the burden. Rogers, for example, built up its own hazardous materials response capacity over the years and seldom needed to call on the regional team. Despite that, he said, Rogers was paying more than $10,000 a year to the regional team.
The proposed agreement recognizes the growing capabilities of Rogers and the other larger departments and operates more as a mutual aid agreement, according to Marshal Watson, Benton County’s administrator of emergency services. The agreement includes the city of Springdale, which extends into Benton County.
There will be a per capita fee levied on Benton County and on cities receiving service. Cities providing service will not be assessed per capita fees, according to the draft agreement.
“The municipalities and Benton County would continue to pay a stipend to the providers to continue the service,” Watson said. For example, Rogers would not be assessed a fee because its department will provide incident response service.
Watson said the original team will cease to exist on Jan. 1, 2013. He said most of the equipment used by the regional team was purchased by the two counties and will revert back to them for future use or disposal.
Benton County Judge Bob Clinard said the hazardous material agreement is the only agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting, but other business could be brought up. He said the county’s ongoing discussions with the cities over ambulance service in rural areas is one potential topic and a county animal control facility is another.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Council
Intergovernmental cooperation councils are established under state law. The law requires the executives of all political subdivisions of each county meet regularly “for the purpose of encouraging cooperation by the various local government jurisdictions within each county in the most efficient use of their mutual resources and in the providing of services to their local communities in the most efficient and mutually advantageous manner possible.”
The councils are made up of the county judge, the county clerk and the mayor of each city and incorporated town. At least once annually, the council “shall review the delivery of services by the various local government subdivisions within the county” in these areas:
Law enforcement services
Fire protection services
Jail facilities and correctional services
Ambulance and emergency medical services
Library services
Motor vehicle liability insurance
Workers’ compensation coverage
Solid waste management services
Street, road and highway repair and construction
Parks and recreation facilities and services
Planning and zoning services
Health and sanitation services
Public transit and transportation services
Any other service area of local government
Source: Arkansas Code 14-27-104