Thanks to a government grant, Dallas County law enforcement and emergency services personnel will be able to communicate better.

“We just received word last week from Homeland Security that we will be receiving a $75,000 grant to put up a new communications tower in Selma,” said Brett Howard, Homeland Security/EMA Director.

According to Howard, the new tower, which will be about 100 feet tall,

will actually save the city of Selma money. Because the current system runs through phone lines, it actually takes longer for calls to be transmitted from post to post, and there are charges made for each call.

Howard, who currently is in the process of getting specifications for the project, can give no estimated time for completion.

“After we get the tower specs, we have to go through the bid process,” said Howard. “This solves a lot of problems, helps everyone, and does not cost anything. This is not a matching grant, we just get the money and build.”

In other Dallas County Commission business:

J.L. Chestnut, on behalf of USA Merchants Service, proposed to place an ATM machine in the Dallas County Courthouse.

According to Chestnut, the ATM will be of no cost to the county and the county will receive a portion of each transaction. He was asked to draw up a proposal and submit it during the next commissioner’s meeting.

Jones Oil won the county’s bid for gasoline and Sabel Steel Service and Skyline Steel won the the county’s bid for steel products.

Bids for turning County Road 145 into an industrial access road will begin on March 18. Construction should start within four -to- six weeks after the bidding process.

The deadline for submitting the grant that will help build Dallas county storm shelters and purchase warning sirens is drawing near. Commissioners will work on identifying potential sites this week.

The need for additional BFI garbage dumpsters was discussed. It was also suggested that the existing dumpsters should be emptied more often.

Contractors are in the process of resurfacing County Roads 12 and 30.