Upgrades for police system considered "must-do"
Hillsborough Township Committee members don’t like to use the “B” word borrowing when it comes to money, but sometimes they have little choice.
The governing body passed Tuesday night a $716,713 bond to upgrade communication systems for public safety and to replace the aging municipal telephone system.
Borrowing money means interest payments, of course, and they are seen as wasted tax dollars by leaders who prefer to “pay as you go.”
”This bond ordinance is not for routine capital expenditures, but rather material capital purchases needed to ensure public safety, that cannot be funded as part of our annual capital plan,” said Mayor Frank DelCore.
The bond ordinance would pay to help the police meet a Federal Communications Commission order to convert the communication system to narrow banding, and upgrading the emergency 9-1-1 and municipal telephone systems.
The FCC mandated the narrow banding of the current VHF (Very High Frequency) radio system by Jan. 1, 2013; the township received a one-year waiver that extends the deadline for completion.
One option was to convert the current system to meet FCC requirements. The option wouldn’t be able to talk to neighboring municipalities or with other township emergency services. The police department preferred to join Somerset County’s 700 mhz public safety radio system.
”The importance of providing effective and reliable communication systems for the public safety of our township cannot be over emphasized,” said Police Chief Paul Kaminsky.
Hillsborough fire and EMS, as well as neighboring police departments, already use the county system, and this has caused police field units to be unable to communicate with those public-safety agencies.
“”The current emergency 9-1-1 system has been in use since June 2004, and the vendor has said it will no longer be able to maintain the system without the upgrade.
”The improvements to the municipal telephone system are necessary as it is no longer feasible to upgrade or repair the existing aging system,” said Mayor DelCore. He said the school district, which houses its central administration in the municipal building, will help share the cost.