County grapples with nearly $1M price tag for 911 software

One thing was abundantly clear coming out of recent meetings of the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council: 911 Dispatch needs new software and it needs the upgrades soon.

The all-important next step is less clear: How does the county pay for the proposed $960,000 system?

That was The $64,000 Question (give or take $896,000) facing the county's governing bodies this week after 911 Director Dave Costin presented the proposed budget for new software.

While no solution was reached at either meeting, the boards are moving forward with a joint session scheduled Friday morning. Officials plan to use the special meeting to discuss a variety of issues relating to the upgrade, including financing options, possible use of the county's Hazardous Waste Fund and potentially instituting a Local Option Income Tax for public safety.

While those answers will likely emerge at the joint session, on Monday and Tuesday the focus was squarely on the need for the upgrade.

Costin has been aware that a change would be necessary to the dispatch software for about a year and a half, with vendor Tiburon originally notifying the county it would no longer service the system as of Sept. 1, 2014.

While Costin was able to get an extension to July 1, 2015, the need for a change remains.

Early in 2014, he took the issue to local emergency agencies to find out what needs of responders could be addressed by new software.

In May 2014, Costin went before the commissioners and council with information regarding the upgrade.

However, talks did not go much further.

One option that was supposed to be explored was using grant writer Ron Brown to pursue opportunities that might have paid the bulk of the cost. Brown's work with the county primarily revolved around grants for restarting the Putnam County Humane Shelter.

Unfortunately, the grant never came to be and Brown's relationship with the county was subsequently terminated.

"We were waiting on a grant and it doesn't look like that grant's going to materialize," Costin told the commissioners.

With funding still up in the air, much of the meeting discussion on centered on the particular vendor Costin and other emergency personnel are recommending: InterAct.

Of the four quotes reviewed by county responders, InterAct's is the most expensive at $960,702.42. The other three proposals, the cheapest of which is from current vendor Tiburon, are all within $100,000 of InterAct.

Emergency responders feel InterAct's advantage is the ability to interface between agencies within the county as well as with other counties, the State of Indiana and other states.

Currently, 42 other counties in Indiana use InterAct. The state also recently signed a 10-year contract with the company.

Putnam County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Phil Parker voiced his support for the upgrade, telling the commissioners of a case in New York in which a murder suspect had been identified only by a tattoo on his neck.

Through the integrated information provided by InterAct, a more detailed description of the man from two states away filled in the gaps. Police subsequently apprehended the suspect much more quickly than otherwise possible.

Parker said the information good software can provide about previous calls to an address or interactions with an individual helps deputies know what they are getting into before arrival on a call.

"The data that this brings to the table from a law enforcement perspective is beyond invaluable," Parker said.

Besides coordinating well with agencies outside the county, the InterAct software should also provide some improved services local departments. For example, jail records would be integrated with dispatch information.

Additionally, the system would allow for more texting with fire departments. Text-based dispatches are fast becoming preferred to traditional two-tone paging.

And while InterAct was recently acquired by another company, Canadian-based Harris Computer Corporation, the situation remains a far cry from the Tiburon, which has been through four owners in the since the county purchased the software in 2007.

Costin said he has spoken with 911 directors from counties with InterAct software and they remain confident in the viability of the software.

On the other hand, with the Tiburon system being mothballed, not only will the company no longer service the software, but there are no authorized vendors to service it. Questioned by both boards on this issue, Costin assured them it is a proprietary software, and therefore no longer serviced by anyone.

While county leaders are not entirely comfortable going with the most expensive option, Council President Darrel Thomas expressed his willingness to defer to the knowledge of public safety officials.

"This is not within our expertise and the people who are concerned with such things approved it," Thomas said.

Fellow councilman Gene Beck added action has to be taken.

"We've got to do something," Beck said. "That's for sure."

One evening earlier, Commissioner President David Berry had a similar thought.

"Bottom line is, we've got to do something and we have to act relatively quickly," Berry said.

The need for speed springs from the implementation period. Once a contract is signed with InterAct (if the county goes that route), getting the system online takes three to nine months.

So regardless of how quickly the county finds funding, dispatch will be operating without a net for a while, continuing with Tiburon without technical support after July 1.

Funding remains the question. Besides the nearly $1 million purchase, the annual maintenance fee would go up from $50,000 with Tiburon to $80,000 with InterAct.

While Costin emphasized that this higher fee includes upgrades -- something not provided by Tiburon -- it is still $30,000 more to come up with each year.

Officials must find the answers soon.

"We don't have that kind of money in the budget," Councilman Larry Parker said, "so we've got to come up with something to pay for this."