Chairman and commissioners outline 'state of the county,' highlighting 9-1-1 call load, EMA upgrades, sheriff grant awards and infrastructure projects

Chairman Williams opened a "state of the county" segment at the Oct. 28 Chilton County Commission meeting, asking each commissioner to report on their liaison areas. Commissioners delivered updates on emergency communications, emergency management, law enforcement grants, animal control, transit, roads and parks.

Commissioner Billingsley summarized 9-1-1 operations and emergency management. He said the dispatch center has 16 employees and handles between 400 and 600 events daily; he also reported that the center averages roughly five new-address requests per day, which he noted as an indicator of county growth. Billingsley said the 9-1-1 operation plans to move into the new courthouse complex, with a planned move in March and full operation in April. He described the county’s planned P25 radio upgrades that would allow interoperability with other counties and jurisdictions on mutual aid channels.

Billingsley also summarized Emergency Management Agency (EMA) accomplishments: the EMA secured multiple grants (including CRI, EMPG and an RC&D grant, as reported), completed technology and…