The estimated costs of new consoles for county dispatch came in $34,000 under the proposed budget request of $100,000. Chelsie Decker, 911 Director, presented the Allen County Commission with estimates from three different companies to consider Tuesday as they continue their work on the budget.
At the June 4 commission meeting, Decker presented a $100,000 budget request to replace three existing consoles for dispatch and add a fourth. The request for the additional console was to address the potential of consolidation. At the prior meeting, Decker said that consolidation has become a “reality right now in the 911 industry.”
She had explained that the the request for the additional console would address the potential of consolidation among EMS districts.
Commissioner Bruce Symes, at that time, suggested perhaps purchasing three consoles would be more feasible since consolidation isn’t currently on the table. The estimates she presented Tuesday were lower than expected because they do not include the fourth console.
The three estimates presented include Evans Consoles Inc., of Grapevine, Texas, at a cost of $61,615; Xybix Systems, Inc., of Littleton, Colo., at $65,432; and Russ Bassett, of Whittier, Calif., at $80,636. Decker noted the current consoles are from Xybix. “They will reimburse us and buy back the consoles we currently have,” she explained. “This is reflected in their final estimate.”
The other agencies would not be able to buy the current consoles back because they are not their product.
Although Xybix isn’t the lowest bid, Decker explained there is an advantage to going with them. Thad Parker, owner of Communication Center Specialist (CCS) in Iola, currently does maintenance on the dispatch’s consoles. He is certified to do maintenance on Xybix and Russ Bassett consoles, but not Evans. “That’s a huge thing to look at when we select what consoles we’re going with,” said Decker. “He’s right here in our home county, so that’s a benefit. We don’t have to wait for somebody to travel here.” This maintenance includes any needed repairs and yearly cleanings.
“My preference is Xybix because CCS isn’t able to do maintenance on the Evans consoles,” said Decker. “And Russ Bassett’s estimate comes in at about $15,000 higher.”
Commissioner David Lee said he is interested in finding out if the county is able to finance the consoles. “Instead of paying all of the cost up front, Xybix may be interested in carrying the cost over three years,” said Lee. Decker said she would inquire about the ability to finance.
IN OTHER NEWS, Judge Dan Creitz and Chief Clerk Administrator Dina Morrison gave a brief overview of the court’s budget proposal.
In the proposal, legal services would see an increase of $35,000. These services include contracts with attorneys.
“The district raised their hourly rate to $100 an hour a year and a half ago,” said Morrison. “This is the fourth budget meeting I’ve done in the district and everyone is consistent with the legal fees. They may not actually be that much, but it’s better to plan accordingly because we’re going to have to pay them regardless.”
In addition, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) asked for a 5%, or $485, increase. Morrison noted that, with everything going electronic, the court’s postage has gone down.
Public Works Director Mitch Garner updated the commission on the progress at the landfill. The bennonite layer of the new landfill cell is approximately 95% done, according to Garner.
The next step is installing the liner. “That should go pretty quickly and hopefully will be done before the end of July,” he said.
