Commission OKs communications agreements

The Miami County commissioners approved an agreement for continued maintenance of the county Communication Center radio system until the switch to the state MARCS system now planned for early next year.

The agreement with WS Electronics will be on a month-to-month basis at a cost of $14,000 per month. Communication Center Director Jeff Busch told the commissioners Nov. 29 the amount is the same as the previous agreement with WS Electronics.

The Communication Center handles police, fire and EMS calls and dispatches countywide.

The conversion of the county’s radio system to the Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) is expected to be done by the end of January, Busch said.

In other action last week, the commissioners approved an agreement to extend the date for a fact finder hearing in negotiations with Communication Center dispatchers (now called communicators) until Feb. 28.

The commission was told contract talks with the communicators are continuing.

Threats lead to prison time

A man accused of threatening a court magistrate was sentenced Nov. 28, to 30 months in prison.

Brandon McGill, 35, of Troy was charged with felony intimidation for threatening Miami Municipal Court Magistrate Gary Zuhl on Sept. 1. He later pleaded guilty in county Common Pleas Court.

McGill told Zuhl, “I’m going to bury you” during a court appearance and later made other threats against him in remarks while in the county jail, Paul Watkins, assistant prosecuting attorney, told Judge Jeannine Pratt.