If Kosciusko County wants to buy new equipment outright for the 911 system for the new dispatch center, it will cost $301,000. If they lease the equipment for three years, the county will end up paying $327,000.

Those are the figures Kosciusko County Administrator Ron Robinson presented to the county commissioners Tuesday. The bid for the equipment was made by Sprint.

"I think we need to have more input from them," Robinson said. "Going through this, I'd like to have them clarify some things."

The hard cost of the equipment is only approximately $76,000. The other costs include ongoing line charges and maintenance for the different lines.

To facilitate Y2K compliance, the county is building the central dispatch office in the basement of the Justice Building before Jan. 1. The rest of the Justice Building expansion project is expected to begin sometime in early 2000.

Robinson said the problem with buying the equipment is that in three years time, it will be outdated. The equipment used for 911 now has been in place since 1989. Robinson said the county cannot wait another two weeks to make a decision.

Commissioner Eddie Creighton said that while he recognizes technology is always becoming outdated, if they buy the equipment they can save money especially if they are able to keep the equipment operational for more than three years.

The commissioners approved authorizing commissioner Avis Gunter to sign a contract once Robinson's questions have been answered. The commissioners did not decide if they will lease or buy the equipment.

In a related business matter, County Auditor Charlene Knispel said the commissioners have not heard anything back from the state tax board on the bonding for the Justice Building expansion project.

"Would it help if we have our attorney talk to some of the legislators?" Robinson asked.

Attorney Mike Miner said he has been told the state board has looked at the matter but not made any official decisions. He said the longer the state tax board waits, the higher the interest rates will be.

Gunter said, "The state tax board is sitting on our project and costing us money."

In other business, Miner opened bids for the 2000 reassessment. Reassessments are conducted every five years. Indiana Assessment Service, Rochester, bid $2 per parcel. There are approximately 90,000 parcels of land in the county. Cole Leyer Trumble Co., Dayton, Ohio, bid a total cost of $120,000.

The commissioners gave the bids to the County Assessor's Board and the board will return later with their decision on the best bid.

In other business:

• The commissioners approved the Workforce Development Services to submit an application to conduct a self-sufficiency demonstration project for submission to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.

Juan Manigault, Workforce Development, said the project will help develop infrastructure improvements to help welfare recipients become self-sufficient. The project will be accomplished partly by expanding transportation services throughout the county and providing financial management training and advocacy.

The grant request is for $321,507. KABS is providing a 15 percent cash match of $105,728. No county money will be used for the project, Manigault said.

The county commissioners, as well as the Local Self-Sufficiency Planning Council, were required to give their approval for Workforce Development Services to apply for the grant.

• Lakeland Art Center Director Lila O'Connell thanked the commissioners on behalf of the center for allowing the center to use the building at 109 N. Lake St., Warsaw, for many years. The center used the facilities rent-free for approximately six years.

The center recently moved to 116 S. Buffalo St.

The Center was one of four businesses on Lake Street that had to move because of the Justice Building expansion project.

• Commissioners approved letting United Way of Kosciusko County place their fund-raising thermostat sign on the courthouse lawn.

• Highway Superintendent Rob Ladson asked the commissioners to authorize commissioner Brad Jackson to sign a special permit. The permit would allow a drive to be brought out on Fascination Way. The property where the drive is to be built is in Enchanted Hills and borders East Wawasee Drive and Fascination Way in Syracuse. The commissioners approved. Without the drive, the property would be useless and the county would then have to purchase the property.

• Commissioners approved providing all the libraries in the county with copies of all the ordinances they pass. Gunter suggested the idea.

"Warsaw has their ordinances in the library and the other towns have their ordinances in other libraries," she said.

The only cost for the county will be to make copies. There are approximately five libraries in the county.

"In the total realm of paperwork in the county, this is just a small job," Creighton said. [[In-content Ad]]