MONROE, Mich. -- Almost $425,000 in state funding will be used to help offset annual Monroe County emergency radio communication fees for the next 10 years.
Maj. David Thompson of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said he was able to negotiate a $424,763 credit from the State of Michigan after the county increased the efficiency of its 911 communication system.
Tonight, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners is expected to formally approve an amendment that will pave the way for the arrival of the funds.
"This will benefit everyone that is part of the 911 system," Maj. Thompson said.
"It's going to save money."
The dollars are going to be used to help pay for an annual state subscriber fee of $200 a radio per year. The $424,763 will be combined with another $1.99 million that was obtained through a FEMA grant in 2003.
The Michigan Public Safety Communications System requires the $200 subscriber or "mic" fee for each base station, mobile radio and portable radio to be part of its system. That means there is an annual fee of about $200,000 for all the radios serving the 36 county agencies that have them.
Maj. Thompson said the grant and credit monies from the state will be used to pay those annual fees into 2017. And for the volunteer fire departments in the area, especially the smaller ones, eliminating that annual mic fee is a godsend.
The grants will save the London-Maybee-Raisinville Volunteer Fire Department about $5,800 a year, said Chief Rick Smith. While that might not seem like a budget-buster, it could have been made a difference in the department's pursuit of a new fire engine.
"It's definitely a lot of money for us," Chief Smith said. "I'm glad we got that grant."
Larry Rutledge, LaSalle Township supervisor, said those annual fees were a concern when Monroe County switched to the 800 MHz emergency communications system. It would have cost LaSalle's volunteer fire department about $4,000 a year in mic fees. It is a relief to Mr. Rutledge that the county will have more than $2 million available to offset those costs for the next 10 years.
"That's really good news," he said. "That is money we'd rather put into roads or something like that. It's a relief to know there are no future costs coming. It's certainly a plus."
Maj. Thompson said the recent credit he was able to obtain from the state was the result of the county adding a fifth tower to its 911 communication system. In March, the county won an $850,000 Homeland Security grant that was used to tap into that fifth tower, an existing structure in Toledo to improve communication mostly with southern Monroe County communities that were having difficulties.
Because the county was improving its system, it became eligible for the state credit, Maj. Thompson said.
John Bofia, chief of the Bedford Township Volunteer Fire Department, said adding the new tower to the system has helped eliminate those gaps in communication between firefighters and dispatchers.
"It's much, much better," Chief Bofia said. "I haven't had any reported failures. The sound is loud and clear."
http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007111270043
Maj. David Thompson of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said he was able to negotiate a $424,763 credit from the State of Michigan after the county increased the efficiency of its 911 communication system.
Tonight, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners is expected to formally approve an amendment that will pave the way for the arrival of the funds.
"This will benefit everyone that is part of the 911 system," Maj. Thompson said.
"It's going to save money."
The dollars are going to be used to help pay for an annual state subscriber fee of $200 a radio per year. The $424,763 will be combined with another $1.99 million that was obtained through a FEMA grant in 2003.
The Michigan Public Safety Communications System requires the $200 subscriber or "mic" fee for each base station, mobile radio and portable radio to be part of its system. That means there is an annual fee of about $200,000 for all the radios serving the 36 county agencies that have them.
Maj. Thompson said the grant and credit monies from the state will be used to pay those annual fees into 2017. And for the volunteer fire departments in the area, especially the smaller ones, eliminating that annual mic fee is a godsend.
The grants will save the London-Maybee-Raisinville Volunteer Fire Department about $5,800 a year, said Chief Rick Smith. While that might not seem like a budget-buster, it could have been made a difference in the department's pursuit of a new fire engine.
"It's definitely a lot of money for us," Chief Smith said. "I'm glad we got that grant."
Larry Rutledge, LaSalle Township supervisor, said those annual fees were a concern when Monroe County switched to the 800 MHz emergency communications system. It would have cost LaSalle's volunteer fire department about $4,000 a year in mic fees. It is a relief to Mr. Rutledge that the county will have more than $2 million available to offset those costs for the next 10 years.
"That's really good news," he said. "That is money we'd rather put into roads or something like that. It's a relief to know there are no future costs coming. It's certainly a plus."
Maj. Thompson said the recent credit he was able to obtain from the state was the result of the county adding a fifth tower to its 911 communication system. In March, the county won an $850,000 Homeland Security grant that was used to tap into that fifth tower, an existing structure in Toledo to improve communication mostly with southern Monroe County communities that were having difficulties.
Because the county was improving its system, it became eligible for the state credit, Maj. Thompson said.
John Bofia, chief of the Bedford Township Volunteer Fire Department, said adding the new tower to the system has helped eliminate those gaps in communication between firefighters and dispatchers.
"It's much, much better," Chief Bofia said. "I haven't had any reported failures. The sound is loud and clear."
http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007111270043
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