City Needs $43,000 For Cell Air Time In 2008

The 2008 Fort Wayne proposed city budget calls for over $43,000 in cell phone usage. The eleven departments requesting funding for cell phone minutes next year runs from a low of $300 to a high of $12,408.

There is little doubt various departments need cell phones to conduct city business. The Mayor's office is requesting $4,500 to maintain contact with other city officials and the outside world. There is little doubt this is money well spent.


The Police Department is requesting $7,600 for their cell phone needs. This is understandable in the business they are in. At times discussions between command officers and even patrol officers cannot be conducted on their normal radios.

The Fire Department is requesting $12,408 for cell phone time in 2008. They use the mega million dollar 800 megahertz system the city bought a few years ago. It had every toy you could ever want in a communication's system. What could the Fire Department be doing that requires this much cell time?


Then again, when you see nearly every day a marked Fort Wayne Fire Department vehicle heading into Churubusco (which is in Whitley County) things must be more complex then a tax payer could understand.