Navajo County intends to use its 2015 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to purchase new emergency dispatch consoles and equipment.
CDBG funding is expected to total $369,726 this fiscal year. In past years, community block grant funds have been used for community facilities and public services such as improvements to senior centers and assistance with the purchase of transportation vans. The funds can be used for public infrastructure, however, and that is the plan for this year’s award.
The requirements for CDBG note that they “must be used to benefit low-income persons and areas, alleviate slum and blight, or address urgent need.”
The emergency dispatch equipment at the county is outdated and Sheriff KC Clark previously explained that it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain parts for repairs because the components are no longer being manufactured. He noted that the consoles are more than 10 years old, and with the fast-moving improvements in technology, they are already obsolete.
“Think about the cell phone you had 10 years ago,” he remarked.
The expense of replacing the old dispatch equipment has been a concern for the partners who are working to create a regional dispatch center. The cost of consolidating dispatch services is being divided among the agencies partnering in the project. The equipment must be replaced in order for the regional dispatch center to function effectively, however the high cost of new equipment would have greatly increased the initial contribution for each member.
During discussions with the Holbrook City Council, regional dispatch partners noted that in addition to the cost of the new equipment, partners must contribute enough in annual fees to continually update and upgrade the dispatch consoles so they do not become outdated, leaving the group in a similar situation of needing all-new equipment in another decade.
County officials hope to make significant progress on the regional dispatch center this year and new equipment will push the project forward.
In order to use CDBG funds for dispatch consoles and equipment, the county must show that the new equipment will benefit low-to-moderate income residents within the county. A special income survey will be conducted to meet the grant requirements. The results of the survey must show that at least 51 percent of the residents who benefit from the new equipment are from low to moderate-income households.
If the study finds that the project does not meet the income requirements, the funds will be divided among three other projects. A total of $169,726 would be awarded to the White Mountain SAFE House in Pinetop for building improvements and salaries; $100,000 would be used for sidewalk design and improvements on Johnson Drive in Pinetop-Lakeside; and an additional $100,000 would go toward pedestrian improvements along Porter Mountain Road in Pinetop-Lakeside. A request for funds by the Pinetop-Lakeside Senior Center for building upgrades was denied by the county.
The board of supervisors was expected to approve the plan to use the funds for dispatch center equipment and conduct the required survey during a meeting on Tuesday.
