Union County approves selection of new 911 CAD system to improve interoperability and mental‑health call reporting

The Union County Board voted to approve the 911 board’s recommended vendor for a new Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) software system intended to improve interoperability, reporting for mental‑health calls and on‑scene location sharing.

County staff told commissioners the 911 board solicited bids and received two responses; staff and the chief deputy recommended ID Networks (CentralSquare). Staff said the new system will allow live location updates to tablets used by deputies, ambulances and fire crews, reduce repeated data entry across multiple systems and cut radio and phone traffic. "It's going to cut down a lot of phone calls. It'll cut down a lot of radio traffic because everything will be seen on the laptop or the iPads," a county staff member said.

Because the county had not budgeted the full county share this year, staff said the 911 board agreed to cover more of its portion during the first year; the county will budget its portion in a future year. The county staff explained the vendor’s approach spreads one-time setup fees into annual costs over five years to reduce first‑year budget impact. A staff summary at the meeting listed an annualized figure of $48,388 (total annualized cost in staff materials) and indicated the county’s early-year share would be roughly $7,000, with additional county budgetary responsibility in subsequent years, subject to final contract terms.

Commissioners asked whether municipalities could decline participation; staff said municipalities could retain their existing systems but would not receive live synced dispatch information. The board voted to approve the RFP selection as presented.

The decision directs staff to finalize contract terms and to coordinate with the 911 board and affected municipalities; the county will return to budget planning to identify the county share for the coming fiscal year.