Franklin County Commissioners discussed plans to relocate the county's 911 dispatch center from its current location in the jail to a stand-alone location at its Aug. 23 meeting.

Franklin County Council vice-president Joe Sizemore presented some information to commissioners he had gathered concerning a 911 consultant after seeking recommendations from other neighboring counties and asked commissioners for their thoughts on a potential building. Commission president Tom Linkel had inspected a building Sizemore had in mind, but anticipated the costs to renovate the building would exceed the cost to build new.

“I personally think the 911 dispatch center is the most important need we have in the county at the moment. I think for the safety and the good of our citizens, the safety and the good of our jailers and dispatchers, we need to spend some money and get our dispatch out of the jail. It's going to be expensive and it's going to be time consuming to get it right,” said Linkel.

With the potential for the Town of Brookville to relocate its offices from the old school administrative building on Franklin Avenue to the old Zimmer facility on 7th Street, Linkel hopes to secure the administrative building for use as a dispatch center. Alternately, a new building could be erected at the county park next to the public transportation building, or even built inside the 4-H building that is in the works. Whichever building the county chooses to pursue, Linkel hopes to move the county's emergency management agency into the building as well.

Sizemore agreed the old administrative building would be ideal. Linkel explained the building remains under the ownership of the Franklin County Community School Corporation, who leases it to the town. Linkel hopes an agreement can be reached between the school district and the county to use the building as a dispatch center, due to its proximity to the Franklin County Government Center. 

Also discussed:
-Franklin County surveyor Rob Seig brought an update on work needed to repair the Wehr ditch near Riley Pike, which has been damaged by tree roots growing along the railroad. Seig is working to evaluate the extent of the damage and the most effective way to fix it. He suggested placing an assessment of $60 per acre on the 11 parcels served by the ditch for two years. Such a collection should cover the needed repairs and leave a healthy cash balance to support future maintenance work. Linkel asked if he had sent a camera through the drain tile and if it would be possible to clear it with an auger, Seig replied he would discuss those options with the contractor. 

-Seig brought an update on the design standards manual he has been working on and how it would integrate with a technical review board he hopes to establish to work with the county's area planning commission (APC) and board of zoning appeals (BZA). The technical review board would see zoning applications before going to either the APC or BZA, giving the county a chance to iron out any potential issues before it goes to the the boards for approval. 

Linkel expressed concern the additional step would cause a delay for any businesses trying to come into the county. Legal counsel Grant Reeves explained the current process requires documents to the APC or BZA three weeks before the board hearing, this would add one week to the process. Seig noted the technical review board can spot issues and have them corrected before it gets to the APC or BZA, streamlining the process if any changes are required.

Commissioner Tom Wilson suggested the individuals Seig requested to sit on the technical review board, representatives from the health department, board of commissioners and highway department. Seig replied he chose the individuals he chose because they have some sort of expertise in their specific field; if they unable to bring any knowledge to the review board, they may not be qualified for the position they currently hold.