FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County's justices of the peace on Tuesday considered a "pay-as-you-go" plan for an $8.5 million emergency communications system.
The Quorum Court's County Services Committee voted to send to the Quorum Court a proposal having the county use a temporary 0.25% sales tax as a "pay-as-you-go" funding mechanism for the new system. The justices of the peace were already considering using a 0.25% sales tax to pay for a bond issue for the system.
Emergency communications
State agencies have formed the Arkansas Wireless Information Network, a system meant to improve communication among law enforcement fire departments and other first responders. Local governments can join the system allowing them to share resources, including communications towers, and to communicate directly with other agencies on a single system.
Source: Arkansas.gov
Shep Russell, who is with the Friday, Eldredge & Clark law firm, is bond counsel for the county on the project. Russell told the committee the different methods both require voter approval of the sales tax increase. By using a bond issue, the county would receive all of the money needed to purchase and construct the system at one time. The sales tax revenue would then pay for the bonds over time. Under the "pay-as-you-go" plan, the county would use the sales tax revenue as it is received from the state in monthly amounts.
Both options will be on the agenda for the Dec. 19 Quorum Court meeting. If the county is going to have the sales tax increase on the ballot at the March 3 primary election the measure has to be approved before the end of December.
The county has been discussing a new emergency communications system for several years. John Luther, emergency management director, told the justices of the peace several times the 15-year-old system is "one lightning stroke away" from a catastrophic failure.
Luther served on a committee of officials, along with representatives of police and fire departments, Central Emergency Medical Services, and other first-responders to review the current system and needs and recommend a new system. The group recommended buying a system compatible with the Arkansas Wireless Information Network, which has been adopted by state agencies and many local governments.
Under the plan recommended by the committee headed by Luther, the project includes four new communications towers, dispatch consoles for the Washington County Sheriff's Office and Central EMS and additional equipment for three towers in use by Fayetteville. The infrastructure costs are put at about $4.9 million.
The plan would also include buying 1,727 radios for the agencies using the current system. The radios would cost about $3.1 million.
The plan also includes a 3% contingency cost, a $127,500 project management fee, legal and administrative costs of about $20,000 and bond charges of about $40,000, bringing the administrative costs to about $442,000.
In Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville has been using Arkansas Wireless Information Network for several years. Rogers went with the network last year, spending about $4 million on its system. Other governments are in the process of switching to new systems compatible with the network, including Springdale, Benton County and Siloam Springs. Benton County approved spending about $4.7 million for a new system.
The justices of the peace settled on a temporary sales tax increase to pay for the $8.5 million communication system. A 0.24% sales tax is projected to raise about $10 million a year.
The Finance and Budget Committee spent time arguing over raises County Judge Joseph Wood is seeking for four members of his administration. Three of the raises were endorsed earlier, but remain on second reading for next week's Quorum Court meeting.
A proposed $28,660 raise for Brian Lester, county attorney, failed to advance last month when the justices of the peace deadlocked 7-7. That increase, which would boost Lester's salary to $110,000 a year, was moved forward Tuesday night 8-6 and will also be on the agenda next week.
NW News on 12/11/2019