What’s happening?
The Commissioners Court discussed fiscal year 2023-24 funding for capital improvements Oct. 3. Among the projects, commissioners evaluated the expenses associated with the interconnected data-sharing network Unify. This encompasses a wide range of entities, both within and outside the county, such as fire departments, emergency medical services and schools.
In addition to erecting five new towers, the project also entails doubling the number of radio channels and implementing fiber optics. The latter component has already incurred expenditures of nearly $18 million for the county.
The commissioners aim to gather input and secure financial support from the involved entities, which stand to benefit from the project, before allocating significant funding. For the time being, the county will allocate funds for land acquisition related to the towers while officials engage in discussions with these entities.
About the program
The Unify project connects various public safety agencies through a data-sharing network, primarily via 911 dispatch calls. This facilitates communication among agencies, enabling them to dispatch the most appropriate teams to emergencies, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.
Encompassing around 700,000 Central Texans, the Unify system is centered around Williamson County's computer-aided dispatch system, which acts as the central hub, while other regional dispatch systems serve as interconnected branches, providing data to the central hub.
