Lowndes County supervisors unanimously voted Monday morning to amend this fiscal year’s budget to pay $130,000 to place 30 computers in the sheriff’s department vehicles.
The installation of the computers in investigator vehicles, patrol vehicles and special units would allow deputies to file reports from the field instead of traveling back to the department office, therefore saving gas and man hours for the department, Sheriff Eddie Hawkins previously told The Dispatch.
The department has already applied — and been approved — for a federal grant of $58,000 to pay toward the project, Hawkins said during the Monday meeting. Another $17,000 from the state Department of Public Safety’s Wireless Commission will also be used to cover the cost of the project, he said.
The $130,000 from the county would help cover the remaining cost, Hawkins said, which means the entire project would cost roughly $205,000. The department will purchase the equipment as soon as possible, Hawkins said.
Uncertain about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to county financials, District 5 Leroy Brooks asked if it is possible to delay the purchase until next year’s budget. County Administrator Ralph Billingsley assured Brooks there is no need to worry.
“We are financially OK right now,” he said.
Yue Stella Yu was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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