It took three tries, but Hamilton County commissioners finally picked up the signal voters sent them regarding a new emergency communication system - pay for it without taxing us.

County officials will begin looking for about $30 million today to do just that.

The county has agreed to build the infrastructure to support a digital, 800 megahertz communication system that will allow police, fire and ambulance services from 40 different agencies within the county to communicate with one another in emergencies.

Three times, voters have rejected special levies that would have built a larger system for all 48 Hamilton County communities, most recently during the May 4 election.

So now the county is proposing to foot the bill for the towers, computers and hardware to run the system, then have each of the communities pay for its own radios, which cost about $5,000 apiece.

Not included in this system would be Cincinnati, Norwood and the so-called Valley User Group made up of Wyoming, Silverton, St. Bernard, Golf Manor, Amberley Village and Reading.

The announcement, made at Wednesday's commission meeting, is a stunning reversal of the county's previous stand, when commissioners vowed not to build the system if voters rejected the levy.

But it was good news for emergency personnel, and even anti-tax people who fought against the levy last May.

Harrison Fire Chief Alan Kinnett said it will be a struggle for communities, large and small, to come up with the money for the radios. But, he said, it will be money well spent.

"Anything we can do to get that system up and running will be a blessing," Mr. Kinnett said. "Getting the money will be a problem. And it won't be unique to the smaller communities, because the bigger ones will have to buy more radios."

Tom Brinkman Jr., director of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), applauded the move by commissioners.

Mr. Brinkman campaigned vigorously against the communication levy in May, saying all along that the system was needed but that the county should pay for it without a new tax.

"I'm elated," Mr. Brinkman said. "This is good for the taxpayers and good for the citizens."

Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus presented the idea, saying the county had three options: Do nothing, put the levy request back on a ballot, or come up with the money.

"The first two options are unacceptable," Mr. Bedinghaus said. "We need to be responsible for emergency communications without raising taxes.

"The message (from voters) on that is loud and clear."

The current analog system is pushing 50 years old and becomes easily overloaded during times of heavy radio traffic. The system also is full of "dead spots" where radio signals do not penetrate, and does not allow for different agencies within the county to talk with one another.

Those shortcomings were glaring during the April 9 tornado, when "runners" were used to carry messages from the dispatch center to emergency personnel in the field.

Bill Hinkle, director of the county's emergency dispatch center, praised the commissioners for moving this need up the priority list. He said communication during emergencies was critical to protect the lives of emergency personnel.

When completed, the system will be smaller than the proposed $63.7 million project that would have been paid for by the May 4 levy.

The county now will take the following steps to try and pay for the infrastructure:
Identify this project as a goal in the upcoming budget, setting the wheels in motion to find the money. Commissioners say this also will mean that priorities will have to be switched, although they could not be specific Wednesday about which projects might be delayed. County staff will then put out a Request for Proposal, to get more exact information about how much the foundation of the system will cost. Mr. Bedinghaus said that if all goes well, the system could be ready by 2002, and that would give smaller municipalities time to raise money for their radios.