The county’s Sidney communication tower got the first of three needed OKs Tuesday for funding from the commissioners.
The commissioners approved $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to go toward the tower. The ARPA Committee will review the request at its meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday, with the county council reviewing the request at its 6 p.m. Thursday meeting. Both of those meetings will be in the old courtroom of the old county courthouse.
County Administrator Marsha McSherry told the commissioners at their meeting Tuesday morning they could approve the funding contingent upon the committee recommending approval for the funding at their meeting Wednesday.
“This is for a communication tower at Sidney. It’s an 180-foot tower. When we initially started the public safety communications project, we originally proposed to put one at Sidney, but the decision was made to do the major three and then see what the coverage was afterward. So now that the system has been up and running for several months now, seven months by now, the decision has been made that they need that coverage so they need to put that tower in Sidney,” she said.
Making a motion to approve the $400,000 request contingent upon the ARPA Committee’s approval, Commissioner Cary Groninger said the $400,000 was just part of the costs of the tower. More funds for the tower will come from the county’s Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) funds.
He said it’s an important investment in the county’s public safety and the tower is kind of the last piece to bring the system to its full potential.
“When we started this, the goal was to cover the whole county,” Commissioner Brad Jackson said.
Commissioner Bob Conley thanked Groninger and McSherry for their due diligence on the public safety communication project as it’s been a long process.
The commissioners approved the funding 3-0.
County attorney Ed Ormsby presented a grant agreement with the state for opioid funds from the national opioid settlement. The agreement is to allow the county to receive $226,500.
The commissioners approved the grant agreement and for Groninger to sign it electronically on behalf of the county and the commissioners.
Community Corrections Director Barry Andrew requested to apply for a $10,000 grant he just heard about Sept. 7. The grant application is due Oct. 2. Of the $10,000, if awarded, $5,000 will be used in 2024 for travel expenses to the national conference; $2,500 will pay for drug tests; and $2,500 will pay for buying incentives for the Drug Court program. The commissioners approved the application.
The next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Sept. 26.