County asked to oversee federal grant money

Flathead County commissioners are mulling a request from the Montana Public Safety Services Bureau to serve as the subrecipient of a $3 million border interoperability project demonstration grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

Interoperability Montana had applied for the grant, but that agency dissolved on April 12 and the state Public Safety Services Bureau now holds the grant, according to Scott Bradford, communications technology manager for the bureau.

Legislative support for Interoperability Montana failed to materialize and there was no money to pay for operational expenses, hence its dissolution.

Interoperability Montana was created to implement a statewide strategic vision for interoperability for emergency communications efforts. It came about after federal money became available to states to boost border security and improve communications systems used by emergency responders after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist incidents.

The $3 million grant awarded to Montana on April 29 provides money for all counties along the Canadian border.

The state can’t accept and administer the Homeland Security grant — it must be overseen by a county or municipality, Bradford told commissioners. Therefore the request has been made for Flathead County to oversee the grant.

Grant money can’t be spent on construction work, but can pay for some communications equipment, although not radio towers. Nor can the grant be used to pay for maintenance of any equipment. Grant money could purchase automatic vehicle location tracking equipment for police cars, for example, Bradford said.

“We will have to be creative about construction funds,” Bradford said.

That comment made Commissioner Pam Holmquist nervous. She wanted more specific information about where money for construction would come from and who would pay for maintenance of any new equipment purchased and installed.

“Does Flathead County become liable for a lot of costs that will help other counties or the state?” Holmquist asked. “I want to make sure we’re not on the hook for added expenses down the road.”

Carl Hotvedt of the safety bureau said the commissioners could minimize the costs to Flathead County by signing memorandums of understanding with other counties and assigning responsibilities to other counties and the state.

Plans call for asking the Legislature to fund maintenance of the system, Hotvedt said.

“We have to work together to find a funding system to operate it, maintain it and prepare for future changes to it,” Hotvedt said.

Commissioner Jim Dupont said he was frustrated by the entire Interoperability Montana effort. It “failed and failed miserably,” he said.

Commissioner Dale Lauman agreed that the system hasn’t worked as expected.

“We have a broken system and we need to pick up the pieces and move forward and develop something that is going to work,” Lauman said.

While still in operation, the program did pay for equipment to develop a trunk radio system, former Flathead County Commissioner Joe Brenneman said. Brenneman was on the Interoperability Montana board while he was a county commissioner.

Brenneman equated the trunk radio system as similar to the changes people saw when they stopped using adding machines and began using computers. But organizational challenges and incomplete funding plans resulted in the failure of Interoperability Montana, he said.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.