6A The Levy County Journal

The County Paper, Est. 1923

levyjournalonline.com

Jan. 8, 2009

 

‘Bad guys’ to pay for
mobile dispatch system

Story and photo
by Terry Witt
Staff Writer

Funding was approved
by the Levy County
Commission Tuesday for
a new program that will
allow deputies to run
license plate numbers
or criminal background
checks from their patrol
cars without contacting
dispatchers.

Levy County
commissioners gave the
- sheriff’s office permission
to use $28,800 in criminal

fines to purchase a
special program _ that
gives deputies access

to’ information on their
patrol car laptops that had

been available in the past
only to dispatchers.

Many of the deputies
will need a four-hour -
training course to run the
system.

Lt. Scott Finnen said the car rbbile data system will
allow patrol deputies on the road to receive photographs
and background information on suspects. They will be
able to run license plate numbers from the laptops in
their squad cars.

In the past the deputies have had to contact
dispatchers for this type of information, adding. to the
work of dispatchers and slowing deputies in difficult

situations. The E-Agent system will cost the county’

$28,000 the first year and $4,800 annually thereafter.
Finnen asked for permission to use money collected
from criminal fines to pay for the new computer-based

system.
“It’s a win-win for the’ ‘Sheriff’s “office and’ the”

 

Sheriff’s Capt. Evan Sullivan (right) and Lt. Scott Finnen speak to Levy County.
commissioners about a new program that gives deputies access to information
on laptop computers in their squad cars without talking to dispatchers.

Produce, from Page 1A

up produce from Publix on behalf of her church, Elohim
Tabernacle of Prayer Ministry of Bronson. Gainesville
Harvest arranges for the bread distribution. Freeman picks
it up.

“Its stuff that’s about to go out of date,” she said.

Freeman said people appreciate what the Children’s
Table is doing for them.

In these tough economic times when people are out of
work and money doesn’t go very far, it is difficult for some

| families and individuals to put food on the table. The food

. taxpayers, and the bad: guys are paying for it,” Capt.

Evan Sullivan added.

The up-front cost is $720 per unit to mount ‘the:

system in 40 patrol cars. Deputies will need four hours
of training to learn to operate the new system..

E-Agent is operated through Tallahassee Community
College.
support if the system breaks down,

Sullivan emphasized that the new system will lessen
the workload of dispatchers, but it won’t eliminate the
problem of 911 dispatchers being overloaded with calls
at times.

The sheriff’s office asked for additional funding for
ADO SOE AONE e. SWe GON the 9f1 center lastiyedt The slbtifts dffite was eiven

ORG oF oerpporpecre:

ho increase iff ‘its’ budget.

County officials express worry about
losing state transportation dollars

Florida special legislative
session ending Jan. 16 to decide
$2. 3 billion state ae |

By Terry Witt
Staff Writer

When the Florida Legislature began to wring
close to $2.3 billion out of the state budget this
week, Levy County commissioners were keeping

their fingers crossed that two state road programs for .

tax-poor counties are not on the chopping block. \

They are worried most about the Small County
Road Assistance Program (SCRAP). The program
for fiscally constrained counties funded two Levy
County road resurfacing projects worth more than
$4.5 million in 2008.

Fiscally constrained counties have a weak tax
base. The Florida Legislature recognized this fact
and created SCRAP and the Small County Outreach
Program (SCOP) to provide transportation funding
in these counties.

Whitehurst Construction recently completed the

resurfacing of approximately 12 miles of County .

Road 339 from U.S. 27A to the Gilchrist County
line. Whitehurst Construction was low bidder for
' the road project at $1,494,646. SCRAP allocated
$2,053,854 for the project.

Earlier in the year Anderson Columbia completed
the resurfacing of approximately 11 miles of County
‘Road 345 from Carter’s Store south of Chiefland to
the Rosewood aréa.-Anderson Columbia was low
bidder. at $1,403,369. Scrap allocated $1,886,007
for the project.

The most recent project was the resurfacing of
about 10 miles of County Road 343 past the women’s
work prison south of Bronson. Anderson Columbia
was low bidder at $2,801,901. SCOP allocated
$2,631,899 for the project. The county used its own
equipment to widen and prepare the road bed for
paving, which made up the difference between what
SCOP allocated and what the contractor had bid. :

County Commissioner Lilly Rooks, who works
as the county’s elected liaison with Tallahassee

lawmakers during the session, said she hasn’t heard

anything about SCOP being lost, but she said Levy
County is no longer eligible for SCRAP holdin
because its tax rate is too low.

Counties must have a tax rate of eight mails to
be eligible for SCRAP funding, she said. Levy
County’s tax rate is 7.42 mills. ;

Administrative Road Superintendent Baiee
Greenlee said Levy County’s ineligibility seems
unfair.

“You try to help the citizens of the county (with
lower taxes) and you get punished,” Greenlee said.

-Rooks said the county asked state lawmakers last
year to amend language in SCRAP legislation to
include Levy County, but the governor vetoed the
bill. She heard later that other language had been
attached to the bill that Gov. Charlie Crist didn’t
‘like.

“We’re worried about the entire budget, as far as
the Legislature is concerned,” she said.

Another worry is that SCRAP might end in 2010.

Levy County has asked the Legislature to continue
funding SCRAP.

State Sen. Charles Dean, R-Inverness, is fighting
to preserve road funding for fiscally constrained
counties, according to Legislative Aide Kevin
Sweeny. Eleven of the 13 counties Dean represents
are fiscally constrained.

' Tuesday evening, Dean was still working on
SCRAP legislation as a reporter talked to Sweeny.

Greenlee said the county has been fortunate
that administrators with the Florida Department of
Transportation in Lake City have been good to work
with when the county needed help.

He recently paid a visit to Lake City when road
grant revenues to resurface County Road 32 fell
short of what was bid. Greenlee said FDOT officials
in Lake City listened to his request for additional
funding for the $1 million project and allocated an
additional $32,000.

Greenlee said Levy County needs programs such
as SCRAP and SCOP. He said Rooks has fought to
keep the programs, but there is concern about the
fate of these programs in the current economy.

- they can get,”

   
   
   
    
     
    
   
   
    
     
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
 
   
  
 
  
   
   
   
    
 
     

The college provides 24-hour technical

giveaways mean a great deal to the recipients.

“Everybody appreciates it. They appreciate everything
she said.

She said the last shipment into Bronson was April of
last year.

When the organization posted the date and time of
Saturday’s shipment on a town bulletin board next to the
old Town Hall, word spread fast.

“The people were ready for it,”
asking for it.”

sant Fe of

she said. “They were

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