Jackson County lawmakers to draft resolution adopting state statute for 9-1-1 grants; administration to vet application software

Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith said the 9-1-1 Oversight and Rules Joint Committee will ask legal to draft a resolution stating that the county will follow the applicable state statute when awarding 9-1-1 funds and that administration will study processes for handling applications.

"I wanna put in a resolution is how we're going to have people apply for these funds in the future," Legislator Sean Smith said, proposing use of the prosecutor's system or Bonfire and suggesting two application windows each year so the county can prioritize requests rather than processing them strictly chronologically.

A county staff member, Mr. Clifford, told the committee the administration is prepared to move quickly but noted ongoing procurement work and staffing shortages. Clifford said the administration and the prosecutors office have met with software vendors and that the prosecutor appeared amenable to using its grant tool for 9-1-1 applications.

"If you all need more time to have these discussions ... that won't prohibit or limit our ability to move forward on this quickly," Mr. Clifford said, adding that procurement will need to review current contract provisions and licensing terms to confirm whether an existing enterprise license covers additional uses.

Committee members discussed splitting the work into two pieces: a Part 1 resolution that restates the statutory authority that governs the 9-1-1 fund and a Part 2 that would detail the application process and identify approved software. Legislator Smith argued this separation would prevent the process from being locked into a single vendor.

A legislator asked for timing on an announcement. A staff member estimated an announcement within two weeks but said he could not guarantee it before the end of the month because of other procurement work; another committee member suggested waiting until after Oct. 1.

The committee directed legal to draft a resolution restating that awards will comply with state statute and tasked administration with evaluating software options (Bonfire, Amplifund, or the prosecutors system) and the procurement implications of using those systems. Administration said it could continue distributing 9-1-1 funds under statutory authority while the process is refined.

Clarifying details captured in committee discussion included a proposed model of two annual application windows and concern about prior data loss in an earlier outside-agency process; several speakers emphasized the need for reliable recordkeeping and transparent solicitation language so potential bidders would have notice that the system could be used for grant applications.

Legal and administration agreed to return recommended language and process details for the legislature to review; a specific timeline for formal adoption of a process was not fixed and administration cautioned that software licensing or procurement rebid needs could delay implementation.

The committee adjourned after agreeing to those next steps.