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Glacier County hires Great West Engineering to pursue NextGen 911 GIS grant
Summary
Glacier County commissioners approved a $2,085 contract with Great West Engineering to write a NextGen 911 GIS grant; if awarded, the project would bring county maps into NextGen 911 compliance (estimated project award $26,696) and could replace a current $8,000 annual mapping contract.
Glacier County commissioners on Feb. 10 approved a contract to hire Great West Engineering of Helena to prepare a grant application that would fund updating the county’s geographic information system maps to meet NextGen 911 standards.
Tom, a county staff member who briefed the board, said the state is expected to require NextGen 911 compliance within two years and that Glacier County’s mapping is “pretty outdated.” He told commissioners Great West will charge $2,085 to prepare the application and, if the grant is awarded, the funded work (described in the proposal as about $26,696) would bring the county’s GIS up to NextGen standards and make those maps available through the state library.
"The state's gonna be mandating within the next 2 years that we become what they call NextGen 911 compliant," Tom said, explaining the technical benefit: more precise location data so 911 centers can pinpoint callers rather than relying on rough triangulation.
Tom also said the county currently pays roughly $8,000 a year for mapping services that could be replaced if the county’s data is integrated with the state library's system. He told the board the $2,085 fee could be covered by previously allocated opioid-settlement funds so the cost would not come out of the general budget.
Public commenter Becky Kimmett supported the work, saying she had seen the improved mapping help emergency responders. "Last summer, I saw this in action when those kids were stuck down on the river," Kimmett said. "It pinged and we had the general location and we could find them down there on the river."
Commissioners discussed contract language after staff said the original draft included future-update services; they indicated the agreement was being limited to grant writing and that future maintenance would be considered separately. The board moved, seconded and approved the agreement by voice vote.
The contract approved covers grant-writing services only; any subsequent maintenance or ongoing GIS updates would require a separate agreement if the grant is awarded. County staff said they will proceed with the signed grant-writing agreement and pursue the state funding opportunity.
