SOMERSET – Somerset County commissioners signed agreements for several services on Tuesday.
Commissioners will grant the Somerset County 911 Communications Center access to a talk group on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania state radio system. This agreement gives the 911 center direct, confidential radio communications with state police. The commissioners said the two organizations had not previously had this direct radio communication between them. They said the groups have a very advanced radio system and this is an addition they can use.
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The commissioners also approved the use of Power DMS for the 911 center at no additional cost. This application stores all documentation, policies, and forms and requests renewals and updates to the 911 center policy. This allows the documents to be shared with local emergency medical services, fire departments and police personnel. The commissioners said this new program for the various departments will make it easier for them to function.
In addition, the commissioners approved a jury list agreement that will allow the county to receive a county-specific list of individuals who can assist in identifying residents who have been or may be called for jury duty.
She and the County Retirement Board approved paying Korn Ferry a $71 increase in the monthly fee for professional actuarial services from $2,379 to $2,450, effective Jan. 1. This change represents a 3% change from the previous year. This is a contractual obligation, said Commissioner Irv Kimmel. The service is used to calculate employees’ pensions, which is already built into the contract when the employee retires, the commissioners said after their discussion.
November 11 is Veterans Day. Somerset will hold a celebration in Courtroom 1 at 11 a.m.
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The commissioners also hired two new part-time dispatchers for the 911 center, at $15 an hour, and promoted Mark Monteith and Nicholas Coddington from dispatcher to shift leader. They approved hiring four full-time correctional officers for the Somerset County Jail, at an annual salary of $35,797 each. Samantha Tipton was promoted from temporary clerk in the public defender’s office to assistant district attorney at a salary of $59,703.
And Jon Zimmers was promoted from part-time clerk in the sheriff’s department to full-time training coordinator/evidence manager, at an annual salary of $35,400. Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes cast the only dissenting vote.
Madolin Edwards has been a journalist at the Daily American for 37 years, covering school boards, city councils, sports and breaking stories. Contact Daily American reporters at news@dailyamerican.com.
This article originally appeared in The Daily American: Commissioners approve deals and hires
