Sheriff wants $300,000 !!!!

[Alicia Leonard]

overnor's office seeking information from Walton County, sheriff
By ANDY MEINEN
andym@nwfdailynews.com
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS ? Gov. Charlie Crist?s office is looking for more information before it decides whether to force Walton County to give the Sheriff?s Office more than $300,000 for 911 equipment.
Walton Sheriff Ralph Johnson filed a petition in March asking the Administration Commission, which is made up of the governor and his Cabinet, to make the county pay for new 911 equipment after the County Commission denied Johnson?s request for the funds.
The Administration Commission will decide the matter at a later date, said Randy Ball, the governor?s public safety police adviser.
The letter from Crist?s office asks the county whether the Emergency Operations Center?s 911 equipment, which is the primary 911 system for the county, complies with state law.
The letter asks for much more from the Sheriff?s Office.
Johnson filed his petition stating that he was declaring an emergency because the Sheriff?s Office?s old 911 system was out of compliance. The letter asks Johnson to describe the emergency in detail.
Messages left Monday for Johnson were not returned.
The letter also asks Johnson to provide an outlined copy of expenditures from the 2006-07 budget and any documentation that states the Sheriff?s Office 911 system is out of compliance with state standards, and asks whether the new system from Motorola that cost $311,431 has been installed yet.
The letter also asks Johnson whether he submitted a budget amendment to the county commissioners for consideration for the additional funds. Johnson asked for a public hearing on the matter at a February County Commission meeting but didn?t show up. His request was denied.
The county and the sheriff have until April 24 to provide the Administration Commission with the requested information.
Ball said that once he gets the additional facts, the process should take several weeks to complete.
The whole dispute, however, might have been avoided altogether.
Michelle Gatlin, Walton County?s 911 coordinator at the EOC, said the Sheriff?s Office was part of a grant from the state to get nearly $700,000 for upgraded 911 equipment for both agencies. Gatlin said that in August, the Sheriff?s Office abruptly asked to be left out of the grant.
Now the EOC and the DeFuniak Springs Police Department are getting new 911 equipment, Gatlin said.

Abruptly was not a term used by Miss Gatlin when I interviewed her over two months ago for the Herald. She told me that they were not included because when she contacted the WCSO, they told her that the project was already underway and they had funds to cover it.

 

[jodiFL]

force Walton County to give the Sheriff?s Office more than $300,000

This is the part that I am having a problem with. He is trying to find a way around having to look the BCC in the eye and ask for it. Why doesnt he just show up at a meeting instead of trying to get out of doing it the correct way.


And people wonder why others have a problem with this man.:roll::angry:

 

[rheffron]

Is ther a copy of the Purchase Order or RFQ available to view?

 

[Alicia Leonard]

Is ther a copy of the Purchase Order or RFQ available to view?

I believe it was included in the packet given to the BCC before the meeting so it should be a part of public record.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

There is also a video of that meeting floating around somewhere. That way everyone can see it. Wrobert or Bob Hudson might know a link. Guys??

 

[Bob Hudson]

This might help.

Courtesy of Ray Padgett and the Walton Democratic Party.

http://www.waltondemocrats.org/?q=node/25

 

[The Watcher]

Great Info.

This might help.

Courtesy of Ray Padgett and the Walton Democratic Party.

http://www.waltondemocrats.org/?q=node/25

Thank you for posting this. Was this the meeting that the Sheriff was at the cooking class? I cannot hear the audio very well.