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It became abundantly clear in last week's meeting that two of the county's emergency services <br /> - VIPER and 911 dispatching - are dangerously broken and this impacts the delivery of mission <br /> critical, core public safety services throughout the county. Complex and expensive fixes will <br /> be needed to correct VIPER radio outages and new capabilities will be required to improve a <br /> cumbersome card dispatch system. As you know, the problems the county is facing with <br /> VIPER are being experienced by many other communities across the country so it is important <br /> to note that we are not trying to blame anyone for the past. We are where we are, and now we <br /> must move forward to correct the situation expeditiously. <br /> We left last week's work session uncertain about the county's next steps and we will feel more <br /> comfortable if you would immediately take the following actions: <br /> 1. Direct the county staff to urgently develop a plan — including costs, phasing and milestones <br /> - to correct the VIPER system and improve the dispatch systems. In the interest of <br /> communication, please invite the other community stakeholders to review and approve the <br /> plan as a prerequisite to your signoff. <br /> 2. Secondly, while the county staff is working on the plan, please work urgently, in parallel, to <br /> find the capital necessary to fund it. This is not about preparing for the 2012/2013 budget year <br /> —this is about finding the necessary capital right now! Here are some ideas for you to <br /> consider: <br /> • Delay the planned improvements to the solid waste convenience centers, the recycling <br /> programs, and the geothermal upgrades to the county's buildings. While potentially <br /> worthy programs — do they rise to the level of core, mission critical, public safety <br /> needs? I don't think so. <br /> • Also, since the selection of a site for the Southwest library has been delayed, consider <br /> reallocating this year's capital budget to emergency services. <br /> • Next, take a hard, comprehensive look at the county's real estate portfolio — and sell <br /> unutilized or underutilized real estate. We're not talking about the lands legacy <br /> program's parcels — but rather parcels that are vacant or are not used for county <br /> business. <br /> • And, please reconsider before you allow the county to put pressure on the towns for <br /> more tax money. Town residents already pay county taxes -just as rural residents do. <br /> We'd hate to see Chapel Hill and Carrboro shift to the UNC 911 call center as a knee- <br /> jerk reaction to increased costs. <br /> We understand that the county's operating budget is extremely tight and that difficult decisions <br /> have been made. However, these improvements are, for the most part, capital budget items, <br /> and there is money available in the current capital plan for them. And please don't turn this <br />