A Lauderdale County supervisor said Wednesday that issues concerning local E911 services have been blown out of proportion.

According to a recent news report, the Board of Supervisors said it would sever ties with the city of Meridian if it decides not to help pay for E911 services.

District 1 Supervisor Jonathan Wells said this is not the case, and members of the board plan to meet with city council members today to discuss their respective budgets.

“We’re going over budgets, and they’re going over budgets,” Wells said. “My opinion is there’s nothing to it, there will be nothing to it, and we’re going to get it worked out.”

Funds for E911 services come from a surcharge that appears on phone bills, including cell phones.

Lauderdale County Administrator Chris Lafferty said the city and county split any shortages after the fund is exhausted. The 50/50 split, which is normally $225,000 apiece, will not be enough to cover the difference moving forward, Lafferty said, adding that nearly 70 percent of 911 calls come from within the city limits.

“The city pays the county, and we pay all the bills,” Lafferty said. “We are responsible for everything that has to do with E911. That’s why it’s easy for the city to drag things out because they’re not the ones that are ultimately responsible.”

Technology upgrades to the system have contributed to the rising costs, but some members of the city council feel a 50/50 split is unfair to city residents.

“Basically, they’re asking the city pay what they call half of the amount for this technology,” said Ward 5 City Councilman Weston Lindemann. “While they do need the technology, the problem is when you’re asking the city to split the cost, it’s not actually half because the city residents also pay county taxes. They are in reality asking city residents to pay two-thirds of the bill.”

Lindemann said it would “look more appropriate” if the county was responsible for paying two-thirds of the cost, leaving the city to pay one-third.

Ward 4 City Councilwoman Kim Houston agreed that paying extra for the services while also paying county taxes seems unfair.

“If you look at that, it’s like we’re paying extra money to stay here in town,” Houston said. “Then we have to split it with the county, and all the people in the county are able to take advantage of the things in the city…E911 is something we’ve got to have. I don’t think we should play politics when it can be a matter of life and death.”

Houston also said the city has budgeted $325,000, a $100,000 increase over last year, for E911 services in fiscal year 2018. She said that could decrease as the council continues to make budget cuts.

Lafferty said the board suggested removing the cap and allowing the city and county to contribute to their fair share of the shortfall.