By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Wednesday, May 11, 2016, 4 p.m. — After hearing initial details last week of a Kentucky State Police proposal to dispatch the Bardstown fire and police departments, Nelson County Dispatch Director Debbie Carter offered Bardstown City Council a list of questions to have answered prior to signing an agreement with KSP.
The proposal was discussed at last week’s council working session. The KSP proposal is to dispatch both agencies for $157,200 annually. The proposal also requires the city to purchase $38,700 for additional hardware, software and data collection and entry.
The KSP’s proposal may not include all of the costs the city will incur if the city wants KSP to provide the same level of service first-responders now received from the joint city-county dispatch, Carter said.
The KSP dispatching will make it necessary to split the county’s 911 fees, with the city’s pro-rated share going to KSP. Those 911 fees must be added to the proposed cost in order to determine the actual costs for KSP dispatching.
Carter estimated the city’s share of the 911 fees would be $40,000 to $60,000 annually. Added to the KSP proposal, those fees raise KSP proposed cost from $157,200 to around $200,000 or more.
She also suggested the council ask about the costs for officers to have access to the KSP dispatch run data, mapping and other functions from the officer’s mobile data terminals that they now have in their police vehicles. Access to those functions may be extra cost items that are not included in 
the KSP estimate.
Carter also told the council that since KSP uses their own mapping data, the city should find out how often KSP updates its maps. Nelson County Dispatch’s new dispatch software includes 12 updates a year at no extra cost, she said. The local dispatch center will include residential information, aerial views and turn-by-turn directions for the most direct route to any address.
Carter also suggested the council ask:
— if KSP will be able to activate the weather sirens.
— KSP’s 911 backup and radio backup procedures in the event that phone lines or radio equipment fail.
— about KSP’s ability to answer the city admin phone lines, and the after-hours telephone in the police department lobby. The phone is currently answered by dispatch center employees.
— about the length of the contract, and if there’s a financial penalty for early cancellation.
— about the cost — if any — for the fire department to have access to run reports. If a third-party vendor is required, how much will add to the city’s cost for KSP dispatching?
SIXTH STREET SPEED LIMIT SIGN. Councilman Francis Lydian asked Public Works Director Larry Hamilton about a request for a speed limit sign by residents who live on South Sixth Street.
Hamilton said the unposted speed limit is 35 miles per hour in the city limits. Mayor John Royalty suggested using the city’s radar speed display in the area to gather data on the actual speed vehicles are traveling on the street.
If the majority of vehicles are driving 35 miles per hour, then no action is necessary, Hamilton said. If the majority of vehicles are slower than 35 mph, then it may be desireable to lower the speed limit and post that as the new limit.
“After gathering the data, we can talk about it and see what is needed,” he said.
NEXT UP. The Bardstown City Council meets next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, 2016, in the city council annex adjacent to the Rec Department on Xavier Drive.
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