ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Orange Beach could soon be upgrading their technology and bringing city government up to speed.

At a recent meeting, the city council authorized the application for a federal grant that would improve the city’s current server system.

“This will bring us to the 22nd century,” Al Bradley, Telecommunications Committee chairman, said.

A grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Homeland Security would give the city the ability to connect to the Internet faster, send interoffice correspondence quicker and ultimately improve the city’s way of conducting business.

“More speed is more data,” Bradley said. He said the new system will vastly increase the time spent to send and gather information.

The city would also be able to tap into the county’s records directly, improve public safety and save money through video meetings.

In the event of a hurricane, the city will be able to access information thanks to the new equipment.

Bradley said through video conference the city could save on travel expenses.

From sending employees to educational conferences to transporting a criminal to Bay Minette for an arraignment, traveling could be eliminated by conducting these events via video conference.

Orange Beach Elementary School would also benefit with the increase of learning tools readily available online, but not accessible with the city’s current technology.

With cameras accessible through the Internet the fire and police departments would be able to monitor the beaches, city buildings and any other public part of town to improve public safety. Cameras could be placed at traffic lights to have a record of any accidents that may occur and to see who was at fault.

Night vision cameras could help monitor the Intracoastal Waterway and what’s being transported on it during late hours.

“This is the backbone of the future,” Mayor Tony Kennon said.

Although the rules and requirements for the grant have not been released, Bradley feels it’s important to have a plan in place if the city receives the money. He said the money will have to be spent before the end of next year and to do that they need to act now.

The grant requires a 20 percent match and Bradley pitched the idea of using already buried fiber lines as the match.

“Our view is to use the fiber in the ground as our 20 percent,” Bradley said.

The lines, owned by Mobile-based Harbor Communications, would offer private support to the city for a fee less than what the city pays now for Internet.

Harbor Communications will provide services to initiate the new technology, as well as offer personnel to respond to technical support issues.

Harbor Communications has worked with the University of South Alabama, Mobile Infirmary and other large companies. Additional grant money could arise from the Rural Utilities Service which provides funds to rural counties in an effort to make the more technologically advanced.