Photo by Keith Stewart
Last month, the county board, acting in their new capacity with recently elected Billy Voyles joining the board, formally agreed to contract with Coles County’s 911 center to make improvements to Moultrie’s emergency phone services. Pictured, from left to right: Billy Voyles, Kevin McReynolds, Roger Glazebrook, Arlene Aschermann, Dave McCabe, county clerk Georgia England, Ron White, Gary Smith, Tim Rose, and Todd Maxedon. McCabe was voted to retain the chairmanship, and White was again chosen as vice-chairman at their reorganization meeting in December.

January 14, 2015

Committee rejects tax referendum, for now

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

At their final meeting of the year, the county board approved 911 upgrades that will now task Coles County with the ability to tone out or directly page emergency personnel here in Moultrie County.

At their December 11 meeting and acting in their newly elected capacity with former board member and Democrat Ken Johnson replaced by Republican Billy Voyles, the board unanimously approved the more than $45,000 in upgrades that will now allow Coles County’s 911 center CECOM, with whom Moultrie has contracted for 911 services for just over three years, to directly page out the appropriate emergency personnel.

Before these upgrades, CECOM, upon receiving a wireless 911 call, had to contact either the Moultrie sheriff or Sullivan fire department, depending on the nature of the call, and verbally relay the emergency information. The 911 caller would become part of a three-way phone call before CECOM disconnected and let the Moultrie county agency take over. This relaying of information is said to have taken up valuable minutes in paging out emergency responders, minutes that the upgrades look to avoid.

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