(Atlantic) The Cass County Board of Supervisors held a lengthy discussion this morning on the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS).
ISICS provides public safety agencies, first responders, schools and utility workers in the state with better connectivity. Chris Maiers, Statewide Interoperability Coordinator, was on hand to provide an overview of the system and answer questions.
Supervisor Steve Green explained that the County has been negotiating a proposal with Motorola for a couple of years now for a tower and enhancements for the tower site to finish getting on board with the ISICS system. Green said the Atlantic Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office have bought radios, the Atlantic Fire Department recently received a grant to purchase radios, and a console was purchased to be part of the ISICS system and now they are down to deciding if they want to put up a tower site or stick with the old VHF system.
Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren told the Supervisors that public safety in and around Atlantic, and the people who serve in and around Atlantic, are unhappy with the communications that they have with the current system.
Steve Green said he wants to make sure that the public is supportive of this three-million dollar project and he would like to hear from City Officials and the people of Cass County on whether they think bonding for this ISICS infrastructure is a good idea.
In other news, the Supervisors approved a request for grant matching funds from the Cass County Fire Association which received a Department of Homeland Security grant for the purchase of mobile radios. The 5-percent local match totals $17,699.62. The Supervisors also approved the fiscal year 2020-2021 Urban Renewal Report.
