County considers aerial survey

A proposal for an updated aerial survey was presented at a recent meeting of the Union County Board of Commissioners.

The proposal was discussed at a regular meeting of the board, which took place Oct. 14 at the Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro.

A presentation was given to county officials by Lowell Davis, a representative of Pictometry Intelligent Images, which is based in Rochester, N.Y. Davis is the firm’s district manager for Illinois and Indiana.

An aerial survey can create images which can be used in a variety of ways and by multiple county agencies.

The survey provides tools for use by the 911 emergency communications system and law enforcement personnel, as well as for property appraisal and assessment purposes. 

Davis told county officials that such a survey also can boost revenues for the county in connection with enhancing images of properties and assessing property values.

During discussion about the proposal, it was noted that use of aerial images does not take away from physically looking at properties on the ground.

The last time an aerial survey was done in Union County was about 14 years ago. 

Board of commissioners chairman Richard Cunningham said that such a tool could be valuable to a number of county entities. 

The board chairman suggested that the various entities which might benefit from such a service could share in its cost.

The cost of the service would be in the range of $55,750 to about $70,000 over three years, depending on the range of services which are provided.