Officials from Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport and Harrison County, Miss., met at the Harrison County Courthouse Dec. 3, 2018, to sign an intergovernmental support agreement (IGSA), a first of its kind for a U.S. Navy installation and a local government in Navy Region Southeast.
This particular IGSA focuses on Mosquito Surveillance and Abatement Services, which will enable NCBC Gulfport to purchase mosquito surveillance services from Harrison County at a pre-determined price on an as-needed basis. Dedicated staff at the Naval Branch Health Clinic Gulfport normally perform mosquito surveillance on the Navy base to get an idea of the mosquito population so that a determination can be made regarding when mosquito spraying should be performed. This IGSA gives the base a backup capability during times when medical clinic staffing levels make regular surveillance a challenge, stated Kevin Gillam, NCBC Gulfport community planning and liaison officer.
Capt. William Whitmire, NCBC Gulfport commanding officer, signed the agreement along with Pamela Olrich, Harrison County administrator. Members of the Harrison County Board of Supervisors officially approved the IGSA that morning. Whitmire noted the overall importance of the military, and local and state governments, being able to enter into such agreements.
“New authority under Title 10 of the U.S. Code allows us to do partnerships directly with the local governments where we can exchange resources. The intent of that is to create opportunities to save money on both sides, and so this is a great business opportunity for us, partnering with local communities to be able to not only drive down the costs of our installation operations, but also for the local community governments to drive down the costs of their business operations,” said Whitmire.
Navy installations have the authority to enter into IGSAs with state and local governments to receive, provide or share support services already being provided, as per Section 331 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2013, codified as 10 USC 2679. The hope behind entering such agreements is to find mutually beneficial arrangements for local/state governments and the military that also provide cost-effective services, thus saving taxpayer dollars.
While NCBC Gulfport does have agreements with the City of Gulfport and Harrison County in place already, such as Fire and Emergency Response Mutual Aid Agreements (MAA), this is the first IGSA to be approved in the Navy's southeast region.
The hope is that this IGSA will pave the way for additional agreements, leading to greater efficiencies and savings to taxpayers while continuing to provide the same vital services to customers, such as the local populace and the military community.
Angel Kibler-Middleton, Harrison County District 2 Supervisor, expressed how proud she is to be able to take part in such an important undertaking.
“What an honor to be the President of the Board of Supervisors for such a historic event,” said Kibler-Middleton. “I see this as the first small step to a successful long-term relationship with our wonderful neighbors, the U.S. Navy. The goal of this partnership is to benefit our citizens and our brave men and women who serve our community. I am excited to see what we can successfully partner on next.”