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The new
proposal seeks to unify the control room where 911 calls come in.
The dispatch service is currently under a divided command
administered by the Lincoln police chief and the sheriff, with both
city and county workers taking calls and performing other separate
duties.
Under
the new command there will be one director and equal workers sharing
duties at equal pay.
The
lawyer handling the contract, Chris Walter, pointed out that one of
the benefits that he sees right off is that “putting it [the
communications room] under one person or party cannot but help its
efficiency.”
Another
question has been coming up, asking why, if the county already pays
a share for the equipment, more money will be needed.
The
answer is that the fees paid now are put in a fund for repairs,
replacements and upgrades.
The
city of Lincoln pays $90,000 per year.
The
county pays $34,000 per year.
As Dick
Logan explained about the high-edge technology, “The TV you had 10
years ago isn't what you have today. Things change quickly. You have
to be ready to do that.”
Sheriff
Steve Nichols supplied, “We have a radio system that is getting
outdated. One small component could cost $100,000.”
Dale
Voyles, chairman of the county board, provided a realistic look into
the financial future and how the added support through the
referendum will factor into the county and city budgets during tough
times when revenues are not what they used to be.
The
added income will allow the city to possibly put officers back on
the street, buy patrol cars or meet other needed law enforcement
expenses.
The
county is in its third year of spending county reserves, Voyles
said. If that doesn't change, “Either next year or the year after we
will need to start cutting services,” he said. That funding might
spare a deputy's job or some other service cut.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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There
is some debate as to how to word the referendum on the ballots so
that voters understand just how much they are being asked to
approve. At present everyone in Logan County is paying 85 cents per
month on their telephone bills for the 911 service. An additional
$1.10 is being requested.
That
$1.10 will allow the changes in the operation of the control room.
The changeover will benefit both the county and city citizens with
increased law enforcement services. Citizens will have the best
dispatch services and the highest quality equipment and emergency
response services available.
Good news for
those wanting to adopt a dog
Dog
adoption fees will be lowered at the Logan County Animal Control if
a new ordinance is passed on Tuesday evening. The adoption fees were
recently raised from $25 to $50. Now they will be lowered back to
$25.
The
changes were made to accommodate a new state law that requires an
identification microchip to be embedded just below every dog's skin.
The chip, which is the size of a rice pellet, is simply injected,
using a syringe. The new chips have been ordered and are due in
soon. Usage will begin as soon as they arrive.
The dog
fees were raised to accommodate the added cost of the chips and
administration. However, cost of the chips was not nearly what was
anticipated. So, the fees will be lowered again.
While
recent changes at the animal control quarters have been positive,
the new management of the shelter has created some challenges that
require doing some things differently, at least for the time being.
As the animal population has increased under the new management, the
cleaning and other chores that have escalated too. So the hours open
to the public in the morning have been reduced in order to allow
staff more uninterrupted time to complete their work.
If you
are wishing to adopt a dog or a cat, the Logan County Animal Control
is located at 1515 N. Kickapoo St. The shelter's new hours are
Monday through Friday, 10:30 to 4:30.
[Jan
Youngquist] |
