High Springs and Alachua County Ink Emergency Communications System Deal

HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs City Commission has signed an agreement with Alachua County for access to the Public Safety Radio System (PSRS). This access will allow communication between the City of High Springs police and fire departments and Alachua County’s Combined Communications Center (CCC)

Alachua County purchased the PSRS, or trunked radio system, previously owned by the City of Gainesville. Access to the system is in the public interest as it enables public agencies with access to PSRS to communicate with Alachua County’s CCC that provides county-wide dispatch services and is the contact location for all emergency calls.

The agreement is for a period of five years and the cost will be split 50/50 between the High Springs Fire and Police Departments. The cost has already been budgeted by the City, said Theus.

The agreement calls for High Springs to pay Alachua County $2,200 in 12 equal monthly installments totaling $26,400 annually for a period of five years. In the agreement it states, “At the end of 5 years the payment for services under this agreement will be renegotiated to include a method for the calculation of user fees going forward.” The five-year-period will allow the County time to determine a fair and equitable way to charge for the services in future years.

Currently, the system has six tower sites, which Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Harold Theus said should be increased to service the outlying areas of Alachua County.

The Commission unanimously approved this agreement.

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