However, Winder said he only agreed to sign new payment terms after finding out the three year agreement has a 60-day bailout option.

Both sides have been at odds for years, with inoperability issues and a fight about the county refusing to move some of its offices into VECC headquarters.

Winder said he hopes that will all be forgotten so the county can move in a better direction. Clear budget numbers provided by the audit will prove that it's financially viable for Salt Lake County to bolt from VECC and start its own 911 dispatch center, he said.

"I don't give a rat's patootie about the historical baggage," Winder said. "I'm interested in the best direction for the county. We need to ensure that after this audit is done, and the revenue sharing is fair, we need to pursue" the county's own 911 system.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com