County Communication System Could Be Back on Track

County officials have reached an agreement that will push forward plans for a massive communications system linking a number of law enforcement, fire and public works agencies.

The agreement released Friday is expected to be approved Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors meeting.

The plan was in danger of falling through when the county last month asked the cities to pay a greater share of the cost.

The revised contract would require the county to pay a slightly larger share, almost $2 million more, than originally proposed. The cities would pay almost $50 million for the communications system, expected to cost about $80 million.

Over the past years that the project has been on the drawing board, the county’s 31 cities have been setting aside money to pay for the system. Those savings for the most part were invested in the county investment pool that collapsed on Dec. 6, 1994. After the county declared bankruptcy, it asked the cities to bear a larger share of the cost for the communications system.

City officials, however, were not eager to chip in any more money for the project. They complained that the county was shifting too much of the financial burden on them.

The county has contracted with Motorola Communications for the system.