Subject: [NEXTEL-1] New Philadelphia , OH Communication breakdown -- Commissioners debating system upgrade

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 02:25:16 -0400

Communication breakdown -- Commissioners debating system upgrade
New Philadelphia Times Reporter, OH - Jun 24, 2004
By RENEE BROWN, T-R Staff Writer

Discussion on the county communications upgrade turned lively and
sometimes heated Thursday as several Tuscarawas County officials met to
consider the future of the project.

At issue is a $5.38 million proposal by Staley Technologies of New
Philadelphia that would replace an existing communications system that
covers only about 65 percent of the county using three towers. The new,
computerized system would utilize six towers and provide coverage to
more than 90 percent of the county.

In the end, it was decided to vote on the upgrade Monday since the
matter was not on the commissioners’ agenda for a vote Thursday.

Sheriff Walt Wilson has pleaded his case for a new system for nearly
four years, citing the safety of both law enforcement and citizens.
Commissioner Kerry Metzger said several alternatives have been
investigated and it is time to approve the Staley proposal. Commissioner
James Seldenright agreed.

“I believe people expect the government to provide certain services like
collecting trash, keeping the streets in good shape and public safety,”
Metzger said. “This particular project is something that is needed not
only for the safety of those who respond, like deputies and EMS, but for
the public.

“We have the money to move forward without putting the county in fiscal
jeopardy. We’ve spent time looking at alternatives. This is the best
proposal to upgrade the system.”

Although Commissioner Bill Ress vehemently opposed the proposal, Metzger
and Seldenright decided to put the issue to a vote at Monday’s meeting.

Ress introduced a resolution to form a nine-member committee of citizens
to look into the matter and report to commissioners in December.

“My concerns are the money,” he said. “No one would disagree with what
Kerry said, but I just don’t want to put the county in (financial)
jeopardy in the future. We are wrong in not letting the public have
their voice.”

Metzger told Ress if he wanted an ad hoc committee, he should have
formed one three years ago. Ress cast the lone vote in support of the
formation of the committee, and the resolution died.

“This (proposed committee) will only delay a system that’s needed as
soon as we can get it,” Metzger said. “It’s a public safety issue. I
feel we are in a good position to get this done. There has been ample
opportunity for public input. To delay puts the public at risk.”

“I only hope you are making a decision that’s best for the community and
not a political decision,” Ress retorted.
Metzger told Ress that was an inappropriate comment and said politics
don’t have anything to do with a public safety issue such as this one.

Auditor Matt Judy said the county can afford the upgrade. He explained
the county’s capital improvements fund contains about $8 million and no
other large capital improvements are on the horizon. Ress asked Judy
what he would do if he were commissioner.

“The money’s there,” Judy said. “You have $8 million and this is $5.3
million. There is still another $3 million for other capital
improvements.”

The maintenance cost of the new system – $69,000 per year – is just
slightly more than the county currently pays for upkeep on its current
system – $64,000.

Judy and Treasurer Jeff Mamarella presented the county’s fiscal forecast
as part of the discussion. Judy offered a conservative outlook.

In his fiscal model, he planned for a 2-percent increase in revenues
each year and a 4-percent increase in expenditures each year. He and
Mamarella are hopeful revenues will exceed that estimate and
expenditures should be less.
Using those figures, the county’s general fund would be in the red by
2010, Judy said. However, by holding the expenditures to a 3-percent
increase, the county would be in the black by nearly $4 million in 2010.

Judy said last year the county’s expenses exceeded the county’s revenue
by $1 million. He said this year he expects that figure to drop to
$500,000.

Judy pointed out that the forecast remains the same whether the upgrade
goes through because the money for the project isn’t coming from the
general fund.

“We are in very lean times, and we are surviving,” Judy said. “We are
meeting our fiscal obligations, and lots of other counties aren’t.”

Metzger said the entire upgrade probably will total about $5.4 million
after some related costs of furniture and purchasing the property for
the towers are added in. He said the county has applied for $2 million
in grants through U.S. Rep. Bob Ney.
Rick Brinkman, head of the Tuscarawas County AAA and a member of the
Port Authority board, questioned the move. He said the only way to
maintain the quality services county residents enjoy is through
additional taxes and as a taxpayer, he wants more information.

“This is a large expenditure,” he said. “Is it necessary and are we
being fiscally responsible under the current times?”
The sheriff quickly responded to Brinkman’s suggestion that the need has
not been publicized adequately.
“We have been working on this for four years – it’s not a secret,”
Wilson said. “This upgrade was to have occurred before now. I have some
deputies who have no radio contact in certain areas.

“This will benefit all EMS, fire and law enforcement countywide. This is
a project for the whole county.”
Earlier in the meeting, commissioners approved a frequency relocation
agreement with Nextel.

Tim Staley explained the need for the upgraded system and why timing is
of the essence. He said because the county’s radio frequencies will be
changed eventually, he has been working with Nextel to acquire the
needed additional frequencies.
“This will allow the county to expand the frequencies it can use,”
Staley said. The new system will utilize six towers with seven channels
at each tower as compared with a total of seven frequencies with the old
system.

Staley said he expects the agreement to be approved by the FCC but that
could take a year. In the meantime, he said, he will work to secure
sites for the new towers.

The best part of the new system, Staley said, is the fact it will
connect all of the towers together – a feature that is not in place now.

“If someone in the northern part of the county wants to communicate with
someone in the south, they can’t do that now,” he said. “Now you can’t
have a lot of traffic on one tower. If you are driving through the
county on a high-speed chase, to keep communications going, you have to
physically change the channel while you are driving. The new system will
automatically switch to the closest tower.”

Staley said the current system, installed in 1993, was never intended to
last more than three or four years.
“At that point in time it was just a beginning,” Staley said. “It was
the first step in a series of steps that never got done for whatever
reason. It was a short time fix.”

Metzger noted Homeland Security funds will be used to implement a
countywide paging system once the upgrade is completed.

This page was created June 25, 2004
Copyright ©2004 The Times Reporter
http://www.timesreporter.com/left.php?ID=1067&r==0

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