Johnson County
County could receive funding
Johnson County may soon receive partial funding for construction of an emergency operations center.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edward, D-Waco, secured $750,000 toward the project in the 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which passed the House by a 389-37 vote on Wednesday.
Johnson County commissioners have discussed the need for such a center for several years now.
“A new emergency operations center will help Johnson County emergency personnel protect our families through improved coordination and communication,” Edwards said. “In the event of a national disaster or terrorist attack, there is no greater priority than to ensure the safety of our citizens.”
The measure must pass the Senate and be signed by President Obama.
Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon called passage of the bill through the House great news.
“This will solve a great need for the people of Johnson County,” Harmon said. “With the many challenges we have in the world today because of the threat of terrorism and natural disasters, this money would allow us to have a state-of-the-art emergency operation center.”
Should the bill pass, commissioners would have to vote to accept the funds, and the county would have to provide 25 percent, totaling $250,000, in matching funds.
“I would need the approval of the commissioners court for the 25 percent matching funds,” Harmon said. “But I do not anticipate any problems.”
The money would fund construction of a central office location to coordinate emergency planning operations for the county.
The center will house centralized dispatches for county law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services.
The center will also house emergency management personnel and serve as the primary emergency operating center for any natural or man-made disasters.
Improved coordination would cut down on EMS delays and 911 call delays, Edwards said.
The county dispatch offices are housed at the Johnson County Law Enforcement Center and extremely overcrowded, Harmon said.
The county emergency management offices, located on Chambers Street in downtown Cleburne, do not have sufficient space to stage major disaster coordination operations, he said.
“And dispatch and emergency management work closely together, so it makes sense to put them together,” Harmon said.
Commissioners have discussed but made no firm decisions on a location for such a center over the years.
That decision, Harmon said, depends on whether commissioners accept the funding and approve the required match should the bill pass.
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