Politics & Government

Montco Commissioners' to Discuss Operating Budget Today

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meets today at One Montgomery Plaza.

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners will meet today, Thurday, March 1, at 10 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room on the 8th floor of One Montgomery Plaza. Among the items of business on the agenda is a discussion of the 2012 Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection program- and a presentation of the county's 2012 operating budget.

You can download the full agenda in our PDF section.

Emergency Dispatch Radio Committee Holds First Meeting

According to a release issued by the county, the ad hoc committee of elected and appointed municipal officials held its first meeting Wednesday, Feb. 29, to advise the board of commissioners on how to proceed with the needed multi-million dollar upgrade to the emergency dispatch radio system used by all first responders.

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Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr. is chair of the 32-member committee comprised of elected officials and members of the police, fire and EMS units that use the system.

"My colleagues and I recognize that the highest priority of government is public safety," Castor said. "But in these difficult economic times, it is also our duty to ensure that all options and decisions are properly reviewed and vetted before public funds are expended."

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Josh Shapiro, chair of the board of commissioners, said he had the utmost confidence in Castor and his committee.

"We chose Commissioner Castor to head up this important effort because of his great experience in the public safety realm," said Shapiro. "He is uniquely qualified to lead this effort." 

According to county officials, the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s emergency dispatch system is at a critical juncture. A large portion of the equipment and infrastructure and nearly all of the police radios have reached the end of their useful life and parts and service no longer available from the manufacturer. Following a meeting of the whole committee, members broke into four subcommittees to discuss the various tasks they have been assigned.

The Vendor Selection subcommittee interviewed four firms that replied to an request for proposal (RFP) and will recommend one to serve as a consultant to help the various subcommittees accomplish their tasks and implement the strategic outline that is developed.

The Technical subcommittee is tasked with assessing the needs of all of the public safety agencies that use the system and determine what equipment will best address those needs.

The Operations and Policy subcommittee will review how the system functions and suggest improvements to the services offered.

The Municipal Liaison subcommittee is tasked with keeping the governing bodies of the municipal partners informed of the committee's activities and work with them to develop an appropriate funding mechanism.


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