City agrees to split cost

The City of Portland has agreed to handle half the cost of installing a new mapping system for law enforcement.

Portland Board of Works on Monday approved paying $45,000 to install Motorola Solutions software Spillman Flex, with Jay County to pay for the other half of the cost.

Jay County Commissioners had discussed the software at their May 22 meeting and decided to hold a joint session with Jay County Council to look at it further.

Portland Police Chief Steve Schlechty on Thursday explained to the board of works that the city entered into an inter-local agreement with the county for Spillman several years ago. At that time, the city implemented greater use of the system than the county was able to. (The county was using a services at that time that did not have an option for tying into 911 services.)

Redkey and Pennville police also use the system — it comes with a variety of features to aid with 911 calls, including the ability to track officers’ vehicles — as does Portland Fire Department.

Portland Board of Works members Jerry Leonhard, Steve McIntosh and Mayor John Boggs unanimously voted to split the $90,000 cost with the county for the installation of the new system.

Beyond the installation, the city will be responsible for about $21,000 in annual maintenance fees moving forward. (At the commissioners meeting, it was noted that Spillman will cut the cost by about 20% — about $6,000 annually — if the county buys the new software before the end of June.)

The board also approved moving forward with accepting bids for the vacant lot at the northeast corner of Harrison and High streets in Portland.

The city has owned the lot since 2019. The average of two appraisals on the lot came in at $7,871.62, which will be the minimum required bid for the property.

If no bids are received that meet the minimum, Boggs said the city can have the property appraised again.

Board members also approved the installation of a new cooling unit in the server room at city hall by Laux Plumbing and Heating at a cost of between $4,700 and $5,300. The current unit has not been working properly.

Also approved Thursday was the hiring of financial consulting firm Baker Tilly to complete a comprehensive financial evaluation for all city funds for 2021 and ’22 at a cost not to exceed $30,000. Clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips noted that the city goes through the process once every two years to ensure financial stability.