Greene County approves WTH proposal to apply for state NextGen 911 grant

Greene County commissioners on a motion approved a WTH Technology proposal and authorized county staff to submit a state-funded grant application to upgrade the county’s 911 data and dispatch information.

The proposal, presented by Sean Scott of WTH Technology, would create enhanced address, elevation and road-segment data required for the state’s NextGen 911 standard; Scott said the grant carries “0 match” from the county and the award is “up to $30,000.”

County officials called the project a technical update to the county’s emergency dispatch information. Scott said the system (referred to in the meeting as EZNET) will transmit richer location data and allow callers to send pictures or video to 911 centers, and that integrations such as RapidSOS can share live caller location with dispatchers. “The EZNET system ... allows for not only the transmission of the person's GPS location, but also allows for people who call 911 to send pictures or video,” Scott said.

Why it matters: Commissioners were told the enhanced data can improve response in rural and complex situations by adding latitude, longitude and elevation to caller data and by breaking road segments at intersections and political boundaries. Scott said the state is funding the work to meet a higher state standard and that the grant will be paid in segments as project milestones are met.

Details: Scott described the process and timeline: the county would provide an identifying number for the application, WTH would prepare and submit the grant paperwork with county staff sign-off, and the state’s acceptance process takes roughly 90 days. Scott said the project must be completed within an 18-month deadline. He also said most maintenance will be limited to periodic uploads of address points and center lines, likely biannually or annually, and that WTH provides ongoing assistance as the county’s service provider.

County Attorney Marvin (present during the discussion) and other staff were identified as the points of contact to finalize and submit the application. Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the WTH proposal; the motion passed with full support.

What was not decided: No ordinance, long-term contract terms, detailed maintenance fees or specific implementation schedule beyond the 18-month completion window were adopted at the meeting. Scott said the state grant program has covered counties in prior rounds and that there is “no requirement that you're on the hook for a dime,” but commissioners did not vote on any future maintenance contract in this session.

Next steps: County staff were authorized to sign and submit the grant application with WTH and to execute the steps necessary to begin the state-funded NextGen 911 data build-out if the grant is awarded.