Cayuga County leaders will reveal further details of a proposal to upgrade the county's 9-1-1 emergency communications system Monday night. They figure the project will cost $23-million dollars which could raise property taxes by 6-point-87 percent over 12 years. According to 9-1-1 Administrator Denise Stayton, "Most of the infrastructure currently in place is well over 20 to 30 years old in desperate need of upgrade." Much of the money would go toward building a dozen new broadcast towers and the purchase of new equipment for every fire and police department in Cayuga County.
Stayton realizes the proposed upgrade is a tough sell, but she says "the most important factor is for people to know...this is benefiting everyone in the county."
Officials say many parts of Cayuga County do not receive adequate dispatches from the four towers the 9-1-1 center currently operates. For instance, the Village of Union Springs on the shore of Cayuga Lake often experiences such poor reception, volunteers must rely on cell phones and text messages for emergency communications. Chief Garrett Waldron says, "We're finding different ways around it but we need a communications system that's going to work for us."
Stayton says Cayuga County is exploring ways to cut down the costs including forming a coalition with 9-1-1 centers in surrounding counties. She says such a united effort could qualify for state aid.
The public meeting begins at 6:30pm at the BOCES center at 1879 West Genesee Street Road in Aurelius.
