Communications remains issue for commission
Marion County commissioners continue to be unwilling participants in a dispute over management of the county emergency communications system.
The issue was brought up again Monday during their regular weekly meeting.
After an hour of discussion, commissioners authorized up to $1,000 in expenses for a formal audit of the 911 fund. And they instructed the communications department director to comply with a request for records made during the meeting.
In response to questions about the long-term resolution of poor radio communications in parts of the county, commissioners asked for a formal report from the county communications advisory board.
The makeup and organization of the board has been part of the controversy. Board chairman Lee Becker, who is sheriff, said the board was meeting this week to try to resolve the differences.
Ron Mueller, who raised the original concerns, was present. Sheriff Becker and communications director Michele Abbott-Becker also were present. It was the first time all three had been in front of commissioners at the same time since the issue was raised in August.
Other emergency responders and communications staff members also attended.
Mueller asked for copies of the communications advisory board minutes from earlier this year, as well as a copy of statutes dealing with makeup of the board.
When he asked Becker for copies of other reports, he was only told that the advisory board had no budget, and was given a list of photocopying prices.
Commissioners later told Abbott-Becker to provide the minutes and statutes Mueller requested.
Board organization
Becker said the advisory board bylaws "probably weren't followed correctly" but that any issues would be resolved at the meeting this week.
The board includes representatives of law enforcement, emergency medical responders, and fire departments. More than half the members are law enforcement. Abbott-Becker said this is because of a state requirement. It is designed to ensure that access to various criminal justice communications networks not be compromised by a board where law officers are not the majority.
Mueller said that if the board is advisory, the law enforcement majority requirement isn't needed. If the board is supposed to be governing, then it is not functioning properly.
"We don't govern what goes on in the dispatch center," he said.
Abbott-Becker said the law enforcement majority applies to several areas, but not everything the communications advisory board could address.
Those issues are priorities (ensuring law enforcement has priority service); standards (employment safeguards are maintained to protect the integrity of the criminal justice networks); and policy (measures that govern the operation of the systems used to access those networks).
Abbott-Becker said the state reviews the county's procedures and operations regularly, and the communications functions have always been in 100 percent compliance.
Equipment purchases
Firefighter Jesse Brunner asked about equipment purchases, particularly the county's purchase of three hand-held radios for members of the Lost Springs fire department.
The issue is that, if the county does make extensive changes to the radio system, emergency responders may have to replace portable radios. The county doesn't want that added expense.
Abbott-Becker said the radios were bought, in addition to a general upgrade of emergency medical service radios, because Lost Springs firefighters still depended on phone calls to be notified in an emergency. With the department unlikely to generate enough funds to buy new radios, it was in the best interest of the county to buy the units, she said.
That agency's frequency was added to a repeater for the same reason. While some other departments may have provided funds to buy the repeater originally, its maintenance has been county responsibility for at least a decade, she said.
Brunner also asked about the 911 fund, a portion of which has been earmarked for upgrades that will identify the location of cellular telephone calls.
Abbott-Becker said she made it clear to the commissioners at the time that tracking cellular calls wasn't yet a law, but it almost certainly would be required soon.
Further, much of the money goes for other needed upgrades, Abbott-Becker said. Part of the upgrades is the cell phone tracking system, she explained.
Commission chairman Bob Hein attempted to end the discussion more than once, saying the commission meeting needed to "move on." But the discussion continued.
"I'm coming to the conclusion that this needs to be worked out in your group," commissioner Leroy Wetta said. Commissioners said they wanted a recommendation on resolving the issue from the entire advisory board, not from individual members.
