Merger with State 800MHz System OK’d

Acting to clear up a procedural move, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners authorized the merger of its countywide 800MHz emergency communications system with the Michigan Public Safety Communication System (MPSCS). The vote was taken at the board’s March 7, 2012 meeting.

The merger had been approved in August of 2011 by the county’s 800MHz project oversight committee. However, the state attorney general’s office informed the county that authorization needed to be given by the county board. The authorization covered three areas: (1) an integration agreement, (2) a co-location license agreement, and (3) a memorandum of agreement.

The county’s 800MZ system is paid for through a 10-year, 0.20-mill tax that Washtenaw County voters approved in May 2006. At the time, the plan called for eventually merging the county system with the MPSCS, in exchange for $5 million in state credits to be used for future maintenance costs.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building, 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]