Homeland security money awarded for new radios

Morgan County has been awarded a total of $461,926 for new radios from two grants from the Fiscal Year 2006 Homeland Security Grant Program.

The county will receive $251,395 from the State Homeland Security Program grant and $210,531 from the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program grant, said

Emergency Services Director Dave Michael at a recent Morgan County Commission meeting.

The money will fund UHF 450 megahertz mobile and portable radios that will be used for communicating on the state interoperability system, said Michael.

The radios will be purchased for the Morgan County Sheriff's Department, Town of Bath Police, emergency medical services, fire departments and emergency management personnel at the 911 center, he said.

The radios will help them talk to other areas better in the event of a disaster and a mass migration from the capitol region, said Michael.

Berkeley County is already using 450 megahertz radios for all their operations, he said. Jefferson County will start this winter and Washington County will be implementing their system by next summer, said Michael.

Michael hopes to have the new radios in place over the winter.

Recent commission actions

In other news, the commissioners voted to enter into a mutual aid and assistance agreement with the Sheriff's Department of Washington County, Maryland, after discussing the agreement with Sheriff Ronald McIntire.

The commission also adopted the revised Morgan County Employee Guidelines Handbook, effective September

27.

A fee increase was approved for ARRO Consulting, Inc.

The Jeep Cherokee, blue

K-Car and grey Hyundai

vehicles were declared surplus and donated to the South

Morgan Volunteer Fire Department.