COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County will soon have a new 800/700 MHz Radio System after voters approved a funding request by almost 1,000 votes on Tuesday.
The enhanced 911 central dispatch surcharge request was approved 9,596 to 8,574.
The new radio system would replace an old system that dates back to the early 1990’s. The proposed surcharge was backed by police and fire departments around Branch County as well as the Branch County Sheriff’s Department. They say the new equipment would provide better coverage and increase safety for police and firefighters.
Branch County 911 will increase the monthly surcharge by a maximum of $2.52 per phone device which would put the total monthly cost at $2.94 per device.
It would raise about $2-point-4 million annually and the surcharge would not go longer than six years starting in July of 2021.
The new equipment would include the base radio, consoles, mobile radios, portable radios and pagers for all Branch County Law Enforcement Agencies and all Branch County Fire Departments, as well as for Branch County Central Dispatch.
The current surcharge of 42 cents per month per device generates approximately $345,000 annually for 911 and central dispatch facilities, equipment, operations and maintenance.
Under the surcharge approved on Tuesday, the amount of funds would go annually by $2,070,000.
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