The Wabash County Board of Commissioners has approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Mt. Carmel and the Wabash County Emergency Telephone System Board for a new computer aided dispatch system along with other public safety software.
The contract calls for Wabash County to pay $50,517 to the ETSB while the city’s share would be $51,590. The ETSB would then foot the remaining $240,737 during the initial five years of the contract with Motorola.
E-911 Director Kyle Smith told commissioners Tuesday that the new system will be a dramatic upgrade in emergency services locally. The system will allow police officers to access databases and run license plates from their vehicles cutting down on the amount of communications with dispatch. Smith estimated it could be up to a year before the system is fully implemented.
Talks to share the system with Richland County broke down after local officials determined going on their own would be more fiscally responsible in the long term.
The contract still must be approved by the Mt. Carmel City Council and ETSB before it’s official.