County to vote on budget change
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 17, 2011 1:46 PM
Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning will consider making a $1,906,847.64 amendment to the county budget for a new 911 center.
The $1.9 million consists of 911 revenues and $953,423.82 in local matching funds. The county already has budgeted for its share of the cost.
The session will begin with an agenda briefing at 8 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the county courthouse annex. The formal meeting will start at 9 a.m.
County Manager Lee Smith has said the new telecommunications center would not only meet the county's 911 needs for the next 40 years, but would also provide a better and more secure location to store backups of the county's data.
Growth in the county's population as well as a steady increase in the number of 911 calls are driving the need for a new center, he said.
Also, Smith has wanted the county to move on the project as quickly as possible because of uncertainty over what could happen to the state 911 funds. There is concern the money could be lost to a cash-strapped state looking to fill its budget hole.
Originally the county had planned to build a backup facility for the existing 911 center. However, as planning progressed, it began to make more sense to build a new center on property already owned by the county, Smith said.
Commissioners have authorized Smith to seek requests for proposals for the project and bids could be taken by March of next year with construction starting the following December.
The county plans to utilize the design-build approach in which a team will provide the design and construction for the approximately 9,000-square-foot-building, which will be built on county-owned property.
The project will also include additional fiber optic cable to add redundancy to the system. Also, for the first time, the county will have a facility to store backups of all its vital data.
The existing 911 center in the Jeffreys Building would be converted into a live backup 911 center, something the county currently lacks.
In other business Tuesday, three presentations are scheduled:
* Board of Elections Director Vickie Reed will talk about the Nov. 8 elections and polling places as well as the schedule and offices to be decided in 2012.
* Literacy Connections director Pat Yates will update the board about the adult literacy program.
* Rosewood High School principal Dean Sauls will discuss high school reform initiatives at the school.
Commissioners will consider approval of a final plat for the Evans Place subdivision.
The subdivision, owned and developed by Addie and Durwood Evans, is for two lots on the east side of Rosewood Road just north of Beaver Dam Creek.
The Evanses also are asking for a variance on the minimum front building setback. The two lots each have an existing mobile home on them. The mobile homes are 54 feet from the front property line. The county ordinance calls for a 60-foot setback.
The Wayne County Planning Board has recommended that the plat and variance be approved.
The board also will be asked to adopt a proclamation designating Oct. 24 to 28 as Industry Celebration Week.
The Wayne County Development Alliance is asking for approval of the proclamation as part of its annual industry celebration event, which will include a reception and awards program Oct. 27 at Walnut Creek Country Club.