HUNTSVILLE — The Walker County Commissioners Court and the City of Huntsville did not reach any agreement on an Interlocal Agreement for Public Safety Services during Monday morning’s regular court meeting, but two fire chiefs said it would be beneficial for the city and county to settle the dispute.

Mayor J. Turner and City Manager Bill Baine brought four issues to the meeting, including the ongoing efforts at county and community fire protection and EMS support by the City of Huntsville; discuss the status of the Town Creek Project; discuss possible joint efforts to improve regional water supplies; and discuss the county’s position on the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.

Commissioners Court has approved an Interlocal Agreement that calls for it to pay the city $246,487 to offset the expense of providing fire services outside the city limits.

A proposal to extend the Interlocal Agreement for Public Safety Services failed to gain a motion for the City Council to take action on it during its Jan. 5 meeting.

Several council members expressed dissatisfaction over the funds the county pays the city since the Huntsville Volunteer Fire Department responds to 50 percent of the calls within the city limits and 50 percent in the county.

The City Council rejected by a 5-4 vote to extend the agreement at its Jan. 19 meeting.

The majority of council members voted against renewing the agreement because they felt the county was not paying the city enough for providing fire service outside the city limits.

Turner told the court Monday that 60 percent of Walker County voters live in the city limits.

“We are concerned as far as getting appropriate value for our tax money,” he said. “We are here to make a presentation on some areas.”

Baine said the city would like to see the county’s share increased 30 percent or to $360,000 a year because there has been no increase for the county in the past seven years.

County Judge Danny Pierce said “my suggestion is that the City Council accept the amount that we both put into our budgets and what you put into yours and what we put into ours.

“We all have the same monetary challenges this year and there are many. Somewhere between now and then, with this year’s budget which is upon us, we come to some sort of agreement, somehow on what is fair.

“We want to do what is fair. I along with the entire court want to do what is fair. We just don’t know what is fair. It’s not for us to determine and it’s not for the City Council to determine what is fair.

“It’s for us as a community to determine and I am not sure I know how to go about getting that done, except to research other areas and you’re not going to find a cookie-cutter process.”

“I think what our primary concern is in this aspect that we see some genuine movement because like I say two years ago we felt like we had the discussion, the discussion was this year we don’t have it, but come back next year,” Turner said.

Pierce said that Baine and Turner have exhausted themselves “as well as us trying to solve this matter. It’s not that we don’t want to solve it, we just feel like that the amount before us, and you can certainly use the money, we can certainly use it, too. It’s in the budget. You voted on the budget and accepted that budget.

“Anything more than that is going to cause problems for us ... for Walker County.”

Huntsville Fire Chief Tom Grisham and New Waverly Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Jacob Slott responded to the issue.

Grisham said the Huntsville department responds to 60 percent of the calls in the city and 40 percent in the county.

He said the calls that cost the city are the ones where the HFD has to send out more than one truck to a structure fire and “I have men stationed at the fire station waiting to get clearance from the call, so that is where the cost is at.”

“In addition to that, there are other services we provide that we have been doing for years and years and years such as inspections, investigations and presentations. As you well know mayor I have represented the county at no telling how many meetings, conferences and training as a representative of the county and I am proud to do it, very proud to do it.”

Grisham pointed out to the court and Turner and Baine that “here is the key as to what is happening in the ditch. The more we argue about this and don’t get anything going, the more damage it does to emergency services in Walker County — fires, volunteers, EMS, emergency management.

“You’re doing a little bit of damage there and I am not sure if we don’t get it taken care of, we are going to have a hard time repairing it, if we do work shoulder-to-shoulder with all of these agencies, a county agency or city agency.

“That is where you are hurting the residents when we don’t come together and get this figured out. We have got to get our heads back together. We have worked through a lot of different stuff than this, a lot harder than this and we’ve got to get back to the table and start working this out.”

Slott said, “The only thing I would like to say is that we have a good working relationship with Huntsville and I know everything here is political with the city and the county.

“We’re going to continue helping each other out. The city can’t stand alone without the county departments. The county departments can’t stand without the city. I hope the city understands that.

“Also, I think that in all of these discussions that when it comes to the next budget year you need to get some of the firemen, the fire chiefs, members of the community to be in on the negotiations and help out so they will know the facts and get everything out on the table that is actually true.”

Slott added, “None of you as politicians are firemen (except Precinct 1 Commissioner B.J. Gaines) and you don’t know what goes on on a day-to-day basis.

“We have a good working relationship with Tom and them and we don’t want to jeopardize that, but I understand where the county is coming from. You adopted a budget and so did the city and I understand the city expects more money.

“In New Waverly, we have a duty crew during the day and mutual aid on structure fires. There are times we have to rely on Huntsville. Right now, we are doing pretty good, so you can take that off the $246,000 since we cover 23 percent of the county.”

Also Monday, the court:

• Approved minutes for Feb. 22, 2010.

• Approved Racial Profiling Report for 2009.

• Approved replacement of all AED pads.

• Approved placing an AED at the Senior Center.

• Approved purchase of ambulance from contingency.

• Approved bill paying totaling $1,272,044.

• Approved claims/invoices submitted for payment totaling $246,730.

• Approved award of Bid #C2360-10-004 / Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) to Ellis D. Walker Trucking in the amount of $34.50/ton as primary and Pavers Supply in the amount of $40.00/ton as secondary.

• Approved specifications and solicitation for Bid #C2360-10-006 for Hydrated Lime.

• Approved contract with Infinity Networks, Inc. in accordance with Request for Proposal #C2360-10-001-RFP for Inmate Phone System at the jail.

• Approved authorizing issuance and delivery and order for Excavator for Road & Bridge #3.

• Approved change order for Records Management System Software to MCCi for additional software, support and training.

• Passed on proposed meeting with local builders, realtors and banks regarding Subdivision Policy and Development permits.

• Held public hearing to consider the replat of 1.50 acre tract out of Tract 6 of Blythe-Chandler Ranch Subdivision.

• Approved the replat of 1.50 acre tract out of Tract 6 of Blythe-Chandler Ranch Subdivision.

• Approved exception for 14.39, 1.48 & 0.73 acre tracts out of J. Dale Sibley, et al Property and 1.55 acre tract out of W. H. Jordan, Jr. Property.

• Approve M. Lee Murrah to fill a vacancy on the Walker County Appraisal District Board of Directors.

• Approved Proclamation 2010-06 “Intellectual and Development Disabilities Month.”

• Approved Proclamation 2010-07 “Walker County Fair.”

• Approved TrafficPayment.com Service Agreement.

• Approved changes to the County Employment Application.

• Approved accepting right-of-way, Ross McBride Road, B.J. Archer, owner, Survey A-236.

• Approved $5,424.73 to the New Waverly Volunteer Fire Department for 60 percent of three sets of bunker gear and 12 radios.

• Approved amending contract with New Waverly Volunteer Fire Department to add budgeted money for Phelps Fire Station.

• Approved additional $7,145.00 for tree cutting in Precinct 3.

• Approved allowing Texas Rangers to install cable in 1313 University Ave. Building.