A few more questions need to be answered before a merger agreement can be finalized to bring together 911 communications in Boone and Nance counties.
Sheriff Denny Johnson told Boone County Commissioners Monday that most details are in place for the interlocal agreement under which 911 dispatching for both counties would be handled out of the Boone County Sheriff’s office.
However, there are still a few details to be worked out on how the new system would be paid for, Johnson said.
One question involves the portion of computer aided dispatch (CAD) costs that can be paid from Nebraska Public Service Commission 2910 wire line funds. It appears that Boone County could use 2910 funds to pay up to 73 percent of these costs, with the remainder coming form county funds.
Also, a wired “trunk line” connection would be needed between the two counties, and there are questions about which county, or possibly both, would pay for this connection and how much it would cost.
The Boone County 2910 wire line fund currently contains $189,132.
The county also has a 2913 wireless 911 fund. At the end of each fiscal year, remaining funds from this 2913 wireless fund are placed in a 2914 wireless reserve fund.
Boone County currently has $163,026 in its 2914 wireless reserve fund.
Johnson said he is waiting for more exact cost estimates on various parts of the merged system, and determinations of how each cost would be paid.
Read the complete story in the Oct. 24 Albion News & Petersburg Press, Print and E-Editions.
