City Becomes Part of New Network
Saying that police badly need it, the City Council has approved joining a new countywide communications system, despite a higher cost than expected.
The council Tuesday night voted unanimously to pay $567,168 for its share of the new Orange County 800-megahertz communications system. That is about $100,000 more than what the city originally authorized last May, City Manager Daniel E. Keen said.
The system will be a countywide network for police, firefighters and other emergency workers. It is expected to be fully operational by 1999.
Originally, the county had agreed to pay 45% of the $80-million cost. But after filing for bankruptcy protection in late 1994, the county said it could afford only 39% of the total and asked cities to pay the difference.
Keen said the city has set aside $350,000 to pay for its share of the project.
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