County accepts $1 million bid for MSWIN radios
Neshoba County will complete its switch to the MSWIN radio system later this year.
The Neshoba County Board of Supervisors accepted a $1,068,060 bid for ComSouth to purchase 394 MSWIN radios and complete the infrastructure for the new system. During Monday's board meeting, supervisors voted to use a portion of federal American Rescue Plan Act money to pay for it.
The Neshoba County Sheriff's Department, the Philadelphia Police Department and Fire Department have already transitioned to the MSWIN radio system.
"This will transition all of the volunteer fire departments, Emergency Management, the Road Department and other county entities to MSWIN," said Jeff Mayo, county administrator. "We will be totally away from the old VHS system we have been on and totally on the state system."
The MSWIN radio system allows law enforcement and emergency workers to communicate directly with their state counterparts.
The county is awaiting approval from the state Wireless Communication Commission before moving forward. Mayo said he hopes the project will be completed by late summer.
"The bid time is up to 180 days when they receive the purchase order. We will have to get the wireless commission's approval first," Mayo said.
The county is expecting to get $5.6 million from the ARPA. Of that, $250,000 has been planned for road improvements. The remainder, officials said, will be used for heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the Neshoba County Coliseum and touchless fixtures at the county courthouse.
In other matters, supervisors voted to:
• Approve the quarterly budget allocation for the Sheriff's Department (381,471), the jail ($381,472( and the tax collector/assessor's office ($118,949).
• Accept The Citizens Bank’s bid to serve as the county depository for the next two years.
• Accept Scotty Vowell's bid for metal recycling services for the next years.
• Approve the closing of County Road 2216.
• Approve the renewal of the ESRI ArcGIS Software Maintenance contract at the cost of $404.
• Approve inventory removal of old equipment for the tax assessors' and circuit clerk's offices.
• Approve a 16th Section Residential Lease for Jerry Calloway, Lee Calloway Stewart and Terrius Boyd at Township 11 North, Range 13 East.
• Approve the employees' payroll ending Dec. 27 and totaling $194,656.
• Approve the elected officials' payroll ending Jan. 1 and totaling $35,540.
• Approve the out-of-order claims and the claims docket. Supervisors accepted the purchase clerk's report.
• Rehired Wade White as the board attorney and Marty Crowder of Crowder Engineering and Surveying as county engineer for the year 2022.
• Accepted the $600,000 CDBG grant to be used for the Neshoba County Hospital/Nursing Home's $3.1 million renovation project. Bids are expected to be sought and work is expected to begin later this year.
• Approve a motion declaring Jan. 17 as Robert E, Lee/Martin Luther King holiday.