The Daviess County Commissioners gave approval to the Washington Police Department and the Southeast Daviess County Fire District to use E-9-1-1 funds to upgrade communication equipment at Tuesday’s meeting. The WPD will spend a little under $132,000 to upgrade the city’s in-car communication system with Spillman Technology, which puts the WPD and Daviess County Sheriff’s communication systems on the same program.
Sharing the same platform and servers will allow city and county officers to access each other’s files so the officers in one department will know what the other department is doing. City officers will now be able to conduct in-car warrant searches, along with in-car driver’s license and plate checks. The City and County have been in discussions about a combined central 9-1-1 dispatch since last January. WPD Chief Todd Church and County Commissioner President Nathan Gabhart said having the two law enforcement agencies on the same platform is something that is needed. The Harrison and Reeve Volunteer Fire Departments are in the process of merging into the Southeast Fire District and will use $7,267 in E-9-1-1 funds to purchase more powerful radios for the districts four trucks and the District fire chief.
In other news from the meeting..
The Daviess County Commissioners have agreed to investigate a request from the WestGate Board to implement an Unsafe Building Code. Representing the Board, Natalie Smith told the Commissioners of on-going problems with derelict buildings near the WestGate Technology Park. Smith presented the Commissioners with sample ordinances from Ripley and Monroe Counties. Smith said the ordinance would give the county another way to coerce people to look after their own property. The Commissioners will discuss the proposal at their next meeting.
In other business, the Commissioners approved adding a terrorism rider to the airports insurance, appointed Commissioner Michael Taylor to the County’s EMA advisory board, and approved contracts with Kim Murray to do state required land trending and new development assessments for the County. The Commissioners also approved a state mandated upgrade in the County’s bridge inspection contract. The supplement will cost the County an additional $33,800.