Apache Junction, Mesa to partner with IT agreement
Metro Connection
The agreement authorizes the parties to collaborate on the acquisition or use of information technology or related services including the use of existing resources or jointly purchasing new resources.
The cities of Apache Junction and Mesa are entering into a 10-year intergovernmental agreement for technology and related services.
The Apache Junction City Council voted unanimously Nov. 5 on a consent agenda with other items to approve the agreement.
The agreement authorizes the parties to collaborate on the acquisition or use of information technology or related services including the use of existing resources or jointly purchasing new resources, the resolution states.
“This allows for our (Information Technology) department to collaborate with the Mesa IT department, collaborate on using resources together, planning together, using each other’s services,” Assistant City Manager Matt Busby said at an Oct. 14 Apache Junction council work session.
As part of the agreement, Mesa’s fiber network can be extended to the police department and the fire district for the Topaz Regional Wireless Cooperative. Information Technology Director Doug Wirthgen said at the work session.
The city of Mesa, city of Apache Junction, the towns of Gilbert and Queen Creek, and the Superstition Fire and Medical District established TRWC in 2008 to operate a regional radio system that is modern in its management, has equity in membership and provides for support and future growth. The TRWC has expanded to include Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Rio Verde Fire, Fountain Hills Fire and American Medical Response.
“TRWC ... is wireless communication that supports all of the radios for public safety in Apache Junction,” Wirthgen said. “So this will enable us to take it off of wireless and be able to make it into a fiber, stable connection. Also Maricopa (Association of) Governments and ADOT, it enables us to be able to use Mesa’s fiber network to be able to get back to them and be able to extend our CCTV and signal lights for them to be able to assist us with that. That’s one of the type of things we are going to do right away.”
The agreement for technology and related services will provide better TRWC communication between the city and surrounding communities, Apache Junction Police Chief Michael Pooley said to the council.
“This is an opportunity for us to partner with all of our neighboring agencies to be able to have better communication. Any time we have mutual-aid or any type of major incident, it just allows us to make sure that stability is there for communication with our radios with Mesa and anyone else on the network with TRWC, which is the big group,” he said.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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