Huron County voters approve 911 levy

NORWALK — Life for first responders in Huron County just got a little bit easier thanks to county voters.The Huron County commissioners put a five-year, 0.7 mill levy on the ballot to finance the installation and maintenance of upgrades to the county's 911 system and communications equipment for police and fire agencies.The levy was approved 5,486 (53 percent) to 4,870 (47 percent), a margin of about 600 votes, according to unofficial election results.Part of the approved levy will also help pay for Next Generation 911 upgrades. Next-Gen 911 provides better GPS location accuracy and allows people to send texts to 911 dispatchers; Some of those capabilities will soon be mandated by the state, officials previously told the Register.The county 911 system's only other funding is from a .25-cent state cellphone tax, which officials said is not enough to pay for the upgrades.Tacy Bond, 911 coordinator for the county's emergency management agency, thanked the commissioners and county voters for approving the levy."We're preparing for the future and the technology coming our way instead of being behind the eight-ball," Bond said. "We're looking forward to fixing everything."Huron County's 911 system, which is comprised of 20- to 30-year-old equipment, has had nine outages in the past 18 months.Huron County 911 levyFor: 5,486Against: 4,870Note: According to unofficial results.Tacy Bond