Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Services 9 1 1 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves 9‑1‑1 contracts and accepts $214,544.96 PEMA grant for system maintenance
Summary
The commissioners approved contract extensions and maintenance agreements for county emergency communications and accepted a PEMA grant to cover phone system maintenance, an ESInet connection and related projects; officials said the costs are covered by state grant funds and do not increase county spending.
The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 18 approved multiple contracts and accepted a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) grant to maintain and upgrade county 9‑1‑1 systems.
The board approved a two‑year contract extension with Essential Management Solutions for the Department of Emergency Services to run Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 30, 2026, with no increase in cost, Director of Emergency Services Al Carney told the commissioners. Carney said Essential Management helps with grant fund management and shared projects that bring outside funds into the county; he said the vendor’s fees are eligible through the state program described at the meeting and that the arrangement results in “no cost to the county.”
The board also approved a one‑year equipment maintenance agreement with 2 Way Mobile Communications Inc. to maintain the county’s phone equipment and the ESInet connection to Monroe County. Carney said the phone system is shared across multiple counties in the Northeast and is monitored 24/7; maintenance costs will be covered by state project funds (described in the meeting as part of the state funding streams) and not borne by the county’s general fund.
Separately, the board accepted a PEMA statewide interconnectivity funding grant for $214,544.96. Carney said the grant will cover maintenance of the phone system, the ESInet connection, the county’s shared recorder, ongoing GIS migration, next‑generation 9‑1‑1 addressing, and some expected reimbursements from phone companies. He said the county applies for these funds annually and accepts the awards at the December meeting when the allocations are finalized.
The commissioners also approved a multi‑year agreement requested by PennDOT to allow use of a county facility for PennDOT trainings; Carney said the agreement, required every five years, formalizes use of county training space in exchange for PennDOT performing certain public‑works tasks like line painting on county roads. The resolution text describes this as a five‑year agreement.
All of the items were approved by voice vote; the public reading of the resolutions and Carney’s remarks indicate the projects will be covered by state grant funds or other external sources and were presented to the board as producing no net cost to county taxpayers.
