County Council unanimously agreed to enter into the agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute for the software contingent upon the availability of funds.
“The main function of this is to keep the CAD (computer-aided dispatch) going for fire, public safety,” Calhoun County Administrator Richard Hall said. “It is needed so that when a call comes in they (public safety) can go to the right place.”
Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Matt Trentham, appearing before Calhoun County Council Feb. 23, said ESRI is the current vendor the sheriff's department uses but that the department's license has expired.
“It is a need for us,” Trentham said. “It makes our 911 maps work as well as the accessor's office.”
Trentham explained that county agencies are currently under different license agreements with mapping services, and said council’s approval of the three-year license will allow the consolidation of the license agreements.
Trentham said about 90 percent to 100 percent of the $90,600 will be reimbursed to the county from the state's 911 funds as it is related to public safety.
Hall said the county will not spend any money on the project until it is budgeted in the next fiscal year.
“We got to do it,” Hall said, noting the state is moving toward a similar system. “The fact that we get the ability to ask for reimbursement from the E 911 funds makes it a little bit easier.”
Other county agencies that will benefit from the license agreement will be the county's tax assessor’s office, water, sewer, building and planning departments.
Trentham said currently as new homes are built and new roads and changes to existing roads are being put in by the county's tax assessor's office, the sheriff's office does not have access to those changes due to its expired license.
Councilman Ken Westbury asked if other agencies could also be under the license agreement, such as the school district.
Trentham said the agreement will allow up to 25 concurrent users so the district will be able to join if it desires to.
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