Text to 911 is coming to the county, Scott Miller, county 911 coordinator, said at Wednesday’s Highland County Board of Commissioners meet. Miller said there are lots of counties that are starting to use the system and that the county’s current recorder system is from 2015.
Miller said that over the last several months he contacted three different companies as well as other agencies in the state on what company and system they use. He said after that research, Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. and its NICE system were selected. Miller said the system will be able to record and keep all the text messages the county receives and eventually will be able to receive video, too.
Commissioner Terry Britton said the system will cost $26,721 and its purchase was approved.
Penny Dreher, executive director of the Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board, also attended the meeting to discuss multiple topics.
Dreher announced that ADAMH hired TBD Solutions to do a five-county — Fayette, Highland, Pickaway, Pike and Ross — crisis needs assessment for both adults and children. She said the assessment is planned to be completed by June 30, 2022. She said she attended different seminars and events to see how to meet the needs of crisis services. Some of the ideas she mentioned were mobile crisis units that would respond with the sheriff’s office anytime someone calls, or a possible 23-hour crisis stabilization facility.
Dreher also attended to celebrate the passage of the ADAMH levy. She said this year was the first time that the levy passed in all five counties.
“I firmly believe it is because of the endorsement of community leaders and the sheriff that said, ‘Yes, we’re worthy of your vote,’” she said.
Commission president Jeff Duncan said that the November sales tax numbers from September’s receipts came in. He said they were $84,260 better than the same month last year and $1,344,081 better than a year ago at the same time. Duncan said the sales tax numbers continue to be a pleasant surprise.
There were three approvals from the board of commissioners including:
* An approval between the commissioners and the Sidwell Company for professional GIS services. Duncan said the company was doing work with the commissioners previously in the map office and that this is an extension of that work.
* An approval between the Highland County Engineer Miller and Mason Paving Company for a road resurfacing project.
* An approval between the commissioners and Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. for a text message recording system at the Highland County Sheriff’s Office.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
