By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

(Aug. 31, 2023) The Berlin town council unanimously passed the following motions in its August 28 meeting.

Motion 2023-34: Mayor Zack Tyndall’s moved to contract with AT&T FirstNET to provide the Town of Berlin with various mobile equipment for use by town personnel for town emergency and other business purposes.

In a memo from the mayor, he said the town has received an increased number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that include cell phone records from town employees. By providing office phones to key personnel, the town will be able to protect employee’s privacy and increase the availability of public information.

The devices will allow for push-to-talk capabilities that can integrate with the Worcester County Emergency Services countywide radio system, increasing the town’s emergency preparedness.

The town will acquire 62 devices, with 54 equipped with push-to-talk capabilities. Tyndall projects that the town will save $5,600 per year with this plan, compared to paying $50 per month for each employee to reimburse for cell phone expenses.

Ten additional devices will be used during special events or townwide emergencies.

Motion 2023-35: Chief Arnold Downing presented a contract with Redspeed to install a speed monitoring system and traffic law enforcement system in Berlin.

A warning period will be in place before citations are issued. Redspeed will be responsible for printing and mailing citations approved by police, processing payments, flagging unpaid citations, retaining digital evidence and support for adjudication in all court proceedings.

Motion 2023-32: Melissa Reid, the president of the Taylor House Museum received approval for two special events at the museum on Sept. 24 and Oct. 21. The September event is called Sunday Evenings at the Museum and the October event is a cornhole tournament fundraiser.