Cameron partners with Elk

Cameron County continues a partnership with neighboring Elk County that allows Cameron to save a considerable sum of money for prison and emergency dispatch services. If the county were to "go it alone" for the state-mandated services, the costs would be more than double the current outlay.

As part of an agreement approved last week, Cameron will continue to send its criminals to the Elk County Jail throughout 2007. The Cameron County Commissioners recently agreed to an increase from $35 per day to $45 per day, plus expenses, for each prisoner.

Transportation and medical costs must also be covered by Cameron, as well as all other costs over and above room and board. The county has sent its prisoners to out-of-county jails ever since the jail in Emporium was closed many years ago.

A second shared services agreement has also been renewed. Elk County will continue to handle the "911" emergency calls from Cameron County at Elk's dispatch center through December 2009.

Under the agreement, Cameron will pay Elk $53,033 this year, $54,626 next year, and $56,263 in 2009. Traditionally, an emergency services fee tacked on to local phone bills has generated enough money to cover the expense. However, the growing use of mobile phones and Internetbased phone services has caused a decline in revenue from that fee.

By partnering with Elk, Cameron County avoids the costs for personnel, training, equipment and other overhead associated with operating a dispatch center operating 24 hours a day.