Sequoyah County Commissioners agreed to a merger of the Sequoyah 9-1-1 system and Sequoyah County Emergency Management at their meeting Monday.

Chris Keathley, emergency management, told the commissioners he didn’t want to take over the 9-1-1 system, which serves the central and western portions of the county, but that combining the two services would allow emergency management to provide financial assistance to the 9-1-1 system through any grants that emergency management might receive. The 9-1-1 system is not eligible for Homeland Security grants, Keathley said.

Steve Palladino from the state emergency management office confirmed that 9-1-1 systems cannot use Homeland Security grants, but he added that consolidating the two services would not only avoid duplicating services but would allow emergency management to use grant money for communications, which would include 9-1-1 services. Combining the services would enhance communications between fire, police and all emergency services.

“Somewhere down the road you are going to have to look at consolidating these services anyway,” he said.

Palladino said that Keathley is applying for a Homeland Security grant for a “hardened emergency management center.” He said that although there is no guarantee that the county will get the grant, if the county does get the grant is will be used to build an emergency management center where the 9-1-1 system may also be set up.

“GPS units may also be available,” he said.

Global Positioning System, or GPS, units are used by emergency services to find the coordinates where services are needed. The original intent of Sequoyah County 9-1-1 was to provide the emergency services with GPS units, but the officials with the Sequoyah County 9-1-1 system are first struggling with addressing the county to the state standard, and posting road signs and addresses.

Charles “Chuck” Wyckoff with Sequoyah County 9-1-1 reported to the commissioners that the company making the signs has said they will be done in about two weeks. Wyckoff then wants to call for bids to install the signage.

He explained that once the addressing is done and signage installed, AT&T will take over the updating of the 9-1-1 system, which has been a burden to the 9-1-1 system.

“They will maintain the data base if 95 percent of the addressing is done,” Wyckoff said, adding that the Eastern Oklahoma Development District in Muskogee is still working on the addressing.

The commissioners pointed out that county voters approved the 9-1-1 system 16 years ago, but it is still not working up to expectations.

District 1 Commissioner Bruce Tabor said, “Someday we are going to have to look at consolidating the city, the county and the sheriff’s office dispatchers.

“The trouble is we’ve got a number of questions and very few answers. We need to write these questions down and prioritize the need for answers,” he said.

District Attorney Jerry Moore suggested that county officials consult with Darryl Maggard in Cherokee County.

“He has been positive for Cherokee County 9-1-1. Maybe you can ask for a consultation from him.”

Wyckoff said he did not know enough about emergency management services and the Homeland Security Grant application to comment on how merging the two services would help 9-1-1.

District 2 Commissioner Steve Carter noted that the deadline for the Homeland Security grants is Jan. 31, and said he approved of the merger. He also noted that the way the 9-1-1 funding was structured — 10 percent of residents’ base telephone rates, 5 percent of which goes to equipment and 5 percent of which goes to salaries — is not enough to pay for the call takers’ salaries. To change that percentage, residents would have to vote on the 9-1-1 system again.

Wyckoff said salaries ran about $220,000 a year. Wyckoff and other members of the 9-1-1 board serve as volunteers and receive no salary.

A proposal to discuss the installation of signs for the county is on the next agenda for the meeting of the county commissioners. The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday because the courthouse will be closed Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Day.