Cell phone users foot bill for mapping system upgrade

By Rod Rose/The Lebanon Reporter

Lebanon May 14, 2008 12:31 am

— Electronic mapping that will pinpoint emergencies is being provided all police and fire departments in Boone County.
Cell phone users are paying the bill.
Sheriff Ken Campbell Tuesday successfully asked the Boone County Council for $67,750 to upgrade maps, install software and fund a maintenance program for the mapping system.
The cost includes $42,250 to pay WTH Engineering to drive “every inch of the county” to verify addresses, Sheriff Major Mike Nielsen said.
Maps available over in-car computer systems are about 60 percent accurate, Nielsen said.
“We want to raise that probability to 95 to 98 percent,” he said.
One feature of the program is “auto vehicle location,” Nielsen said. With it, dispatchers at the Boone County Dispatch Center will be able to track all emergency vehicles en route to any call. If a police car and a fire truck are approaching an intersection from different directions, a dispatcher can warn both of the other vehicle’s location.
“They’ve got the funds and they’ve proven the need; I move to approve,” Councilman Kerry Kries said. The council unanimously agreed.
The Boone County Fire Chief’s Association endorsed the proposal; representatives of all but one of the county’s nine fire departments were at the council meeting Tuesday.
Eagle and Union Townships and the town of Zionsville are excluded, because Zionsville Fire Chief James Van Gorter has his personnel doing mapping when they are not busy with other duties, Campbell said.
“Everyone is on board with this,” Campbell said.
Money for the project will come from cell phone fees; a similar fee is collected from landline telephones to pay for the enhanced 911 dispatch system.
Campbell said the 911 wireless fund collects about $10,500 a month.
“We’re not spending property tax and COIT moneys,” Campbell said. “We tried to get it as cost-effective as we could make it.”