A request to upgrade the emergency 911 equipment at the Sunflower County Sheriff's Department has been temporarily put on hold until the next scheduled meeting.
E-911 Director John Thompson said although the current equipment is still functioning properly it has reached the manufacturer’s recommended life expectancy.
The lawmakers decided to table the issue and revisit it at their October 7 meeting to give them a chance to evaluate their funding options.
District 1 Supervisor and Board President Glenn Donald asked if the equipment in question was the same system that handles all of the 911 calls for Sunflower County and Thompson said it was.
Thompson said the existing system could not be upgraded and if it were to break down the manufacturer would be unable to fix it.
“That's what they're telling me,” he said.
District 3 Supervisor Dennis Holmes said he was not in opposition to the purchase but mentioned that companies often specify end of use deadlines just to get you to buy new equipment.
He mentioned a previous system that worked years beyond what the manufacturer suggested.
“I’m for getting one, but we need to budget some money for it or figure out how we can do it,” he said.
Apparently, Thompson had included the line item in his submitted budget proposal, but it was removed.
Donald then added, “He asked for it, but we asked Dr. Mac to take it back. It wasn't her doing, it was our doing,” he said.
Thompson said he is maintaining the equipment and it is working properly, so far. “We haven't had any problems with it,” Thompson said.
Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams mentioned the funds that are collected from the citizens by telephone service providers that are earmarked for E-911 and said those monies should be going into a fund and accumulating like a fire fund that is used to purchase a fire truck.
Holmes said at one time the county had $200,000 to $300,000 in a fund, but began using those monies to pay the salaries for the E-911 dispatchers.
“Which it should have been tax money and not E-911 funds,” Holmes added.
He said even though the dispatchers were doing an E-911 job, they should have been paid with tax dollars. That way the money would have been in that account to buy the equipment.
County Administrator Gloria McIntosh affirmed that money is still being sent to the county and placed into the general fund from E-911, and is being used as Holmes described.
Donald said this was an issue the board members needed to address and alluded to the county not wanting to get caught without proper working equipment.
He said a new system is needed and reasoned that since the E-911 money was going into general accounting, the sheriff’s budget was in general accounting and the dispatchers are being paid from there, the county could just use money from the general accounting fund to buy the equipment.
Holmes maintained that the funds should have been budgeted and not just pulled from the general fund.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Clark said the matter was a “no discussion” issue. “We’ve got to have it, we don't want to get caught with our pants down,” he said.
In other business,
Donald introduced a request from a landowner to abandon a portion of Abney Road in the southern part of the county. There was some discussion over exactly where the portion of county road is and which roads it intersects.
Donald asked the members to proceed with voting to submit advertisement for a hearing, which is part of the abandonment process; however, certain members of the board resisted citing the desire to wait until McWilliams could come back with a clear description of the segment of roadway.
McWilliams added that he would not do a board order to advertise until he had a suitable legal description.
Sheriff James Haywood questioned why the landowner was making the request and expressed his opposition to closing off the proposed section of roadway.
Referring to the prospect of a hearing on the matter Haywood said, “If I am in a coma or otherwise can't get here, know this right now, I object.”
Emphasizing that he was only submitting the proposal on behalf of one of his constituents, Donald said it may not be the best thing, but he was just bringing it to the board and they or anyone else would have an opportunity to express their concerns at a hearing before any decision is made.
The decision to advertise for a hearing was postponed for a subsequent meeting.
