Chair proposes July 6 consolidation date, seeks authority to spend up to $400,000 in state funds

The Chair of the 911 board said the planned consolidation of Sebastian County dispatch into Fort Smith will move from July 1 to Monday, July 6 to avoid the July 4 holiday and to align with a pay period, and asked members for agreement to the change. "I would like to move the date consolidation to Monday, July 6," the Chair said.

The Chair said the board aims to have Sebastian County connected to the CAD by June 1 so dispatchers can log in in advance of the July 6 cutover. The board was told ProPhoenix geo‑verification has been completed and that ProPhoenix system administrator training is scheduled Feb. 17–19, with additional administrator/jail training targeted for March.

On staffing, the Chair said the consolidation will add one supervisor position and 11 telecommunicator positions, raising the total to 28 telecommunicators and six supervisors after July 6; a task analysis indicates about 33 full‑time equivalents will be needed to cover six radio channels 24/7.

The Chair asked the board to authorize use of $400,000 in state consolidation funds for immediate consolidation expenses — chairs, Motorola radio work, network upgrades, voice products and call‑recorder reconfiguration — with the Chair pledging to keep total spending below $400,000 and seek reimbursement from the state. "What I'm asking for you is in order for us to as we go, to just get some thoughts or authorization from this board to spend no more than that 400,000," the Chair said.

Several board members pressed for more detail before approving blanket spending. One committee member said the board should see quotes and suggested amending the budget to reflect reimbursable expenses; another asked the Chair to present planned purchases by category at the March meeting. The Chair replied that the funds are earmarked, that purchases would be initially paid from current budget lines and later offset by state reimbursement, and that the reimbursement will appear as revenue on next year’s budget if processed before July.

The board agreed to collect quotes and meet in March (third or fourth week suggested) to review costs and expected reimbursements before taking further procurement actions. The Chair said Motorola movement of radios will not occur until after consolidation and that Motorola prework in March is expected to prepare cabling and pre‑installation work.

Next steps: the Chair will gather procurement quotes, finalize a budget presentation and circulate draft bylaws and consolidation cost estimates ahead of a March meeting for board review.