City OKs 911 RFP release

Carol Gault, commissioner and 911 Communication Oversight Committee member, urged the board to “proceed full-steam ahead” without further delays.

“I am not by any means suggesting to disregard, or throw away, the current (memorandum of understanding) with the county, but to view it from a different perspective,” Gault said. “We are 10 months behind with no end in sight … by assuming responsibility and making the hard decisions, you can no longer be held hostage through numerous ‘what-ifs.’”

The “what-ifs” are antecedents Gault referenced to commissioners in a letter. Recently, the city declined a suggestion to have the county recoup tax losses through annexed properties in tandem with 911 funding mechanisms.

Gault gave The Sun a copy of her letter that urged expediency, while still holding the door open for city-county talks.

“We are now on the third month of having the RFP, and yesterday, Deputy Judge-Executive (Steve) Doolittle stated they still need two more weeks,” Gault said. “I believe, from our standpoint, the RFP is ready to be released.”

Gault called the extra two weeks “no harm,” but compared the RFP with extensive engineering jargon to a doctor describing surgical procedures to laymen.

“It’s the same thing reading the RFP,” she said. “If you’re a radio engineer — well, past that point … not to take anything away from the fiscal court, but I don’t know what another two weeks would do. They’ve had it.”

Commissioner Raynarldo Henderson thanked Gault for her 911 committee efforts since its first meeting in January. When they first met, Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird had noted the equipment’s end-of-life date as December 2018, with some parts replaced from eBay.

“The liability we have for the community weighs on me,” Mayor George Bray said.

“We’re not the only community needing an upgraded system; it’s happening all over the U.S. City and county are two governments with different needs and functions, and sometimes collaboration is a lot easier than other times. I’m only one vote, … but I think we can go forward with the RFP and serve the county’s needs while ensuring (people) get the 911 service they deserve.”

Contacted by phone Tuesday night, McCracken County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer said: “It was very surprising to me that they wouldn’t accommodate us and our desire at least to review the RFP before it went out. We’ve been dedicated, reinforcing our position that we want to be full partners. And, frankly it’s an astonishing way to treat a partner, to ignore our request to have a little bit of time to review things.

“I feel like we’ve been very much disrespected in the thing ... we think this is an excellent project. We’re going to go forward, we just want to be considered as partners,” he said.

Clymer said he expects the fiscal court to proceed with its review.

“As the elected leaders of the county, it is our duty to do our due diligence.”

Before the discussion, the city adopted a transient room tax ordinance mirroring state legislation locally for room taxes on campsites, lodgings and online travel companies.

City Clerk Lindsay Parish said it raised accountability for online companies, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, that already follow similar laws in other states.

“If (someone) rents an Airbnb, that tax is collected by agencies and remitted back to McCracken County, then they share that tax with us,” Bray said, mentioning the Convention & Visitors Bureau and city-county Convention Center as two recipients.

The city also approved a $57,500 fire department feasibility study.

“We’re extremely excited about this,” said Fire Chief Steve Kyle, adding that he looked forward to assessing city fire operations “stem to stern.”

Commissioners rescheduled a municipal order for a development agreement with City Block project developer Weyland Ventures.

“We’re still finalizing dates for the second development phase, and we anticipate this will be on the next agenda,” City Manager Daron Jordan said.

In closing comments, Bray congratulated downtown merchants on a recent Small Business Saturday that featured several holiday promotions amid public celebration.

“It’s the little things in life,” he said.

In other business:

• Members adopted Parks & Recreation Department code changes for recreational area conduct rules and permits.

• The board approved Kentucky Main Street program participation for 2023-24.

• The city approved a memorandum of agreement for Mayfield’s assistance reimbursement after the December 2021 tornado.