FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There were finally some signs of progress Friday in the ongoing dispute over how Broward County’s troubled 911 system should be run.
Currently, the Broward County government and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, two separate entities, run operations jointly, with the county providing technology and funding and BSO operating the system.
The arrangement has led to a dispute between Broward commissioners and Tony over who should run the 911 system and how best to run it. The county’s contract with BSO to run the center expired in January.
Friday was supposed to mark a deadline for coming to a long-term agreement, and while no long-term deal was made, Tony and the county did come to an agreement outlining terms they’ll use to negotiate a new three-year deal.
“It was like phew, it really was,” Broward Mayor Lamar Fisher said. “It was like the weight was off the shoulders at the end of the day.”
The paper officials signed is called a “term sheet.”
It is completely non-binding and it does not mean an agreement has been reached. It just lays out the terms officials will use to negotiate.
As for when BSO and the county might come to a final agreement, Fisher says the county’s goal is to have it in front of commissioners by mid-June.