CC Notes – August 28th and September 3rd 2014
August 28
A special called meeting was held on August 28th in order to give outgoing Commissioners the opportunity to finish the task of getting the emergency services radio system in good working order. All were in attendance except Brian Houston, Charles Seiber, and Jan McNeil.
The radio system has had problems from the beginning several years ago. It simply does not function up to standards, and never really has. The County Commission is not an administrative arm of county government, and any time we try to function as one things usually turn out bad. The radio system is no different. The problems are complex and highly technical in nature. I am lucky to have a background in these types of technical matters, but many are not. The County Mayor was tasked by the Emergency Services committee to help find a solution to the radio issues. This resulted in an RFP and bids for repairs and upgrades. The bids consisted of everything from a basic microwave replacement, to a system change from multicast to simulcast P25. As I mentioned, the issues become technical in nature quite quickly and many commissioners were unsure of how to proceed. Everyone wants the problem fixed, but no consensus could be found. It was mentioned that the county needs an existing department or employee that will take charge of the issues with the radio system, and provide a recommendation as to the proper action the county should take. I agree. After much discussion, a motion to defer was made by Harry Sabine and seconded by Larry Allen. The motion was approved 12 – 3 with Nancy Hyder, Joe Koester, and Roy Turner voting against the motion. The County Mayor was asked to provide a recommendation within the next 30 days concerning what department or entity should take over this issue.
September 3
A special called meeting of the new Board of Commissioners was held in order to elect Commission leadership, and to appoint committees. Mayor Carey was elected the Commission Chairman, I was elected the Chairman Pro Tem, and Nancy Hyder was elected Parliamentarian for the upcoming year. Committee assignments were unanimously approved. I will serve on the Budget Committee, Debt Management Committee, Environmental Committee, and School and County Education Committee. A complete listing of all current committee assignments can be found on my website, allenfoster.net, on the Documents of Interest page.
Thank you for allowing me to serve the 4th District and Cumberland County. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at any time.
Sincerely
Allen Foster
Board of Commissioners
4th District Representative
http://allenfoster.net
allenfoster.com 