Minutes 02-10-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Commissioners emphasized lack of coverage in rural areas of Orange County. Shannon Tufts and County staff discussed current laws that prevent County money paying for infrastructure; it was noted that Time Warner Cable would likely sue the County if it violated the law. Other strategies for encouraging private sector build-out were discussed and will be included in the Orange County Strategic IT Plan. As a corollary related to the need for expanded cellular coverage, the Board and Shannon Tufts discussed issues with the VIPER system. The County is exploring the possibility of locating towers across the county to expand VIPER coverage and capacity. Shannon Tufts noted that the issues related to the VIPER system are threefold: capacity (with the number of channels), coverage, and penetration. Building towers and upgrading the VIPER equipment will improve capacity and coverage, but will not address penetration. One way to deal with the in-building penetration issue is to pass an ordinance requiring buildings of specific construction or size to install repeaters or amplifiers in order to ensure internal cellular and radio coverage. 2. Strategy for staff communication with Commissioners in emergencies (4 first-place votes) The Commissioners expressed a need to have a fail-safe method in place for staff to communicate with the Board Chair and Vice Chair during emerg~ncies. Staff noted that these procedures were included in the County's emergency operations plan, but it is currently being updated. They thought issues such as contacting Commissioners through cell phones, land lines, and Sheriff's deputies were already in place through the CODE RED system but may not have been adequately communicated to the Commissioners. Statutorily, the Board Chair must be notified in emergencies. Shannon Tufts noted that this underlying discussion, however, was outside the scope of the strategic IT plan since it dealt with internal business processes currently being updated. 3. One Stop Planning/Inspections/Permitting & Integrated Planning Software (3 first-place votes) Shannon Tufts noted the current system is not sustainable; funding is needed to procure a new, integrated system due to the single point of failure in the current system with a single planning staff member who had produced custom software code to tie disparate systems together (recognizing that no system will meet all of the County's needs and business processes, so these processes should be streamlined prior to procuring a system). 4. Inventory and Coordination of Systems between Fire Departments and EMS, etc. (3 first-place votes) The Board noted the need for an inventory and coordination between the fire departments and EMS. This process was noted as being underway and there was consensus that any system integration will require additional funding and staff.