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CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) Citizens calling for police service should call the Barnes County Dispatch Center at 845-8181. But if it’s an immediate emergency call 9-1-1.

Barnes County Emergency Manager Kim Franklin presented a rate schedule to the commission for administrative service expenditures that would meet North Dakota law. Franklin says 9-1-1 funding cannot finance administrative calls for other agencies unless that agency is willing to pay a fee for the service, like rolling over phone calls on weekends and holidays.

If Valley City want to add the phone rollover service for the police department line the county would charge the city some $70,000. Valley City Commissioner Mary Lee Nielson says the city and county residents already pay for the service and every citizen should be entitled to emergency services no matter who provides the service.

For some residents it’s unclear which number should be dialed for certain situations. Valley City Police Chief Fred Thompson tried to provide some clarification on this issue during a July 15 city commission meeting.

Valley City resident Lloyd Nelson reminded the city commission that the non-emergency dispatch number isn’t even listed in the phone book. The non-emergency Barnes County dispatch number is 845-8181.

The confusion with the phone number started after the Public Service Answering Point system was transferred from Valley City over to Barnes County after the phone number used for 20 years changed to 845-8181 back in 2013.