Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Dispatch topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Whitehouse council authorizes Motorola dispatch system; chief says county 9-1-1 funds will offset costs
Summary
Council authorized the city manager to execute an agreement with Motorola for enhanced dispatch mapping, AVL tracking and CAD overlays; Chief Johnson estimated about $53,000 in hardware costs and $1,900 annually.
The Whitehouse City Council authorized the city manager to execute an agreement with Motorola on a countywide-enhanced dispatching and mapping platform in a recorded voice vote at its March meeting.
Fire Chief Johnson described the system as an advanced mapping and vehicle-tracking platform that will provide AVL (automatic vehicle location) for police and fire vehicles, hydrant locations, CAD display and status boards for stations and vehicles. Chief Johnson said the platform will interoperate with neighboring agencies, Smith County IT and Tyler IT. He called the change “the next big step” in communications and said the system offers improved accountability and command at incidents.
Chief Johnson told the council the project’s estimated out-of-pocket costs for the city are approximately $53,000 in hardware; annual software/support costs are roughly $1,900. He said the Smith County 9-1-1 District made a generous earlier contribution that would fund the project and that recurring costs would also be partly offset by retiring pagers.
Council authorized the city manager to move forward with execution of the Motorola agreement and directed staff to schedule vendor onboarding and technical integration. The council requested a demonstration (a “show-and-tell”) for councilmembers once the system is operational.
