(LAGRANGE) - LaGrange County is one of 29 government entities sharing a total of $2.8 million dollars in federal grants to update 911 equipment.

The 911 grants are 60/40 meaning the local entity provides 40% of the project cost.

LaGrange County is getting $141,890 for improvements to its computer assisted dispatching software. They began the process in the summer of 2018 and approved a contract with Spillman Technologies in December of 2018 at a cost of $512,285. The County will pay $54,000 a year for maintenance.

I.T. Director Bob Murphy shared with the County Commission at that time that it could be the end of 2019 or the summer of 2020 before the new system goes live at the dispatch center. LINKC.

The grants provide federal funding to support the transition of Public Service Answering Points and their interconnecting 911 network and core services, to facilitate migration to a digital, IP-enabled emergency network, and adoption and operation of Next Generation 911 services and applications.