The Dearborn County Board of Commissioners on March 18 authorized staff to seek county-counsel approval of a five-year contract with DATAMARK for a 9-1-1 VEP editor software package and voted to apply for a state seed grant to validate county GIS and addressing data.

The authorization asks counsel to process a $50,000 contract that the county would pay as $10,000 per year over five years. Nicole Bailey, the county’s director of planning and zoning, told commissioners the software helps the county meet NENA (National Emergency Numbering Association) standards and supports validation of address points, centerlines and jurisdictional boundaries used in 9-1-1 dispatch systems.

“the contract is $50,000, but that will be $10,000 every year that we have the software,” Nicole Bailey said, describing the five-year structure and the county’s interest in locking the rate for multiple years.

Why it matters: Bailey said accurate addressing and NENA-compliant data speed response times and reduce the chance of misrouted emergency responses. She described the software’s functions — validating address ranges, checking for missing addresses, identifying gaps and overlaps in centerline data, and compiling ancillary data such as parcel numbers and hydrant locations — and explained the state uses a star-recognition program that rates counties on data quality.

Bailey also asked the commission to approve applying for an Indiana Geographic Information Office seed grant, which she described as an opportunity to secure up to $30,000 for an outside validation pass. Bailey said DATAMARK’s proposal to perform a countywide validation would cost $28,930, which would be eligible under that seed-grant program.

Commission discussion touched on residents’ objections when addresses change, and on possible legal risk if the county were to offer a waiver to property owners who want to retain an existing (nonstandard) address. Commissioners asked county legal staff to review whether waivers are legally viable and to advise on appeals procedures. Bailey noted that appeal routes already exist: property owners can appeal addressing decisions through the Board of Zoning Appeals and, subsequently, via judicial review.

Bailey said the county’s prior DATAMARK contract had expired in September 2024 and that a new five-year agreement would be backdated to September to avoid paying for months not under contract. She said the county previously paid roughly $4,000 per year and that the new five-year approach fixes a higher multi-year rate rather than paying annual increases.

Action taken: Commissioners moved, seconded and voted to authorize staff to approach county counsel to process the DATAMARK contract and to proceed with the state seed-grant application; the motions carried.

Next steps: Staff will forward the DATAMARK contract materials to county counsel for review and will submit the seed-grant application with the DATAMARK proposal attached. Commissioners asked staff to return with any legal guidance on the waiver idea before adopting related policy.