FARMINGTON — Voters in Franklin County will consider a bond for a new county dispatch building Tuesday, June 12.

The county’s Budget Committee, commissioners and Building Committee support the proposal.

The principal cost would not exceed $598,300 for the stand-alone, 2,200-square-foot dispatch center on County Way. The 15-year bond would have an approximate interest rate of 3.81 percent, and the cost would be $189,479.76. The total debt service for the project is estimated at $787,779.76.

Over the course of the bond, according to a sample amortization chart, the highest payment would be $61,764 in 2014 and would decrease after that. The building is estimated to cost $175 per square foot.

The Dispatch Committee and Franklin County commissioners have voiced hope that the building could be built and outfitted for less. The proposal calls for more safety and security features to be installed and that it be energy efficient. It would be built so that it could be easily expanded.

The county panels have stressed the importance of constructing a securer building for the communications center.

It would be built across from the Sheriff’s Department office where dispatchers and deputies and administration are now operating in a small, crowded building.

One concern of those involved in the project is if the state has the next generation of 911 equipment installed in the current facility, it would cost about $80,000 to move it into a new facility, if the project is not under way within the next 12 months.

County representatives have also expressed concern if the county loses its public safety answering point, the emergency calls would be forwarded to an out-of-county agency at an additional cost.

It is estimated that the project would raise taxes on a $100,000 house about $1, Wheeler said during a hearing.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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