LISBON — Columbiana County will switch to upgraded equipment and software from Solecom for its next-generation 911 system on Jan. 22, with the state covering most of the cost.

Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director and 911 Coordinator Brian Rutledge announced the date during Thursday’s 911 Program Review Committee meeting at EMA in Lisbon.

During several previous meetings, Rutledge was unsure how much the state would pay for the needed equipment, but reported that the state has purchased $324,000 worth of equipment that has already been delivered.

He said there are still several items Columbiana County 911 will need to purchase, including secondary monitors for each of the five Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and the county’s Emergency Management Agency, which serves as the location of backup for answering calls and headphones. , but estimated the cost to the county at just under $30,000.

According to Rutledge, the new system will cut maintenance costs in half from the current annual fee of $98,000 to $50,000 under the new system.

A schedule for training sessions will be set, with administrator training on January 14th and dispatcher training on January 15th, 16th and 17th.

A question was raised about how the new 911 answering headsets and radios will work with the county phone at the sheriff’s office, with Rutledge noting that the sheriff’s office is unique and will be considered.

Commissioner Tim Weigle, who attended his last 911 meeting, said he was confident it would be resolved.

Weigle has been involved with 911 since 2013 and said he will try to remain available as a counselor. Another commissioner will take over as 911 representative in January.

Weigle said he is more than willing to return to Columbus to testify before the Legislature again to seek an amendment to the 911 funding bill. He said he believes the state has realized that no they have enough money and that’s why they looked for alternative methods of funding all the 911s in the county. Rutledge said the state has not yet decided what formula to use to determine how much money each county receives from wireless funding.

Funding for 911 includes a 50-cent monthly county landline fee that voters approved, with a 25-cent monthly fee for wireless devices expected to increase.

Weigle previously explained that he, Rutledge and county EMA Director Peggy Clark traveled to Columbus and argued for a monthly fee of 70 cents per wireless device to cover the costs. Unfortunately, when the legislation reached the state senate, the tax was lowered to 40 cents per wireless device, and the percentage of that tax that each county receives dropped to 72 percent. That means they’ll only see an increase of maybe 3 cents per wireless device.

Rutledge said that so far, funding from wireless is $73,000 more than last year’s balance at this time.

He thanked Weigle for his work on 911, saying “You did a fabulous job.” Committee member Wayne Chamberlain, Madison Township trustee, also told Weigle he did a good job.

In other business, Rutledge said 911 recorders are at the end of their lives and need to be replaced, which will happen soon. The list of possible suppliers has been narrowed down to three, with staff trying to figure out how much is registered, noting that this affects the price. He estimated the cost of the equipment at $120,000, with maintenance costs of $20,000.

Weigle reported the fund totals, the physical fund balance at $691,040 and the wireless fund balance at $1,424,956.

New dispatcher training is scheduled for late November and early December, with approximately 10 new dispatchers expected.

Rutledge recommended another training opportunity for local dispatchers and law enforcement, called Ohio Alerts Training, set for 9 a.m. Dec. 11 at EMA. The free course is offered through the Ohio AMBER Alert Advisory Committee and includes training on AMBER Alerts, Missing Child Alerts, Missing Adult Endangerment Alerts, and the Ohio Law Enforcement Blue Alert.

“It’s good information and good training.” he said.

To register, visit the Public Safety Training Campus at

The next 911 meeting is scheduled for February 6 at 1 p.m.