ESSEX COUNTY, N.Y. -
Essex County's new emergency communication system will cost more.
During Tropical Storm Irene many first responders couldn't communicate with each other, so the county decided to replace its 1950s-era radio system with a digital network that will be used to dispatch police, fire and emergency-medical services countywide.
The original price tag was $16 million, but now the Plattsburgh Press-Republican reports new technology, and an increase in attorney fees, has added another $1.7 million.
The Board of Supervisors will vote on the increased costs at a later date, and construction should begin this spring.
