LaGrange City Council has approved an intergovernmental agreement with Columbus that would allow it to continue sharing 800 MHZ radio communication with the city.

Although it’s been going on for a few years, City Manager Tom Hall said Tuesday, the signed resolution will make the agreement official between the cities.

LaGrange upgraded its radio system for digital capability earlier through U.S. Homeland Security grants of about $1.5 million. It also allowed for communication between the city and Columbus.

The grants were used to replace the aging radio system, avoiding numerous repairs, and integrate the “system in with the city of Columbus so that there was seamless communication between us and our neighbors to the south,” Hall said.

“We’re asking you tonight to ratify a business operation that’s been going on for three or four years.”

Currently, equipment for the radio system is housed in Columbus. The agreement also will allow the city to communicate with county workers without going through the 911 Emergency Communications Center, allowing for stronger electronic connections through the agencies.

“This is a backbone infrastructure of the city,” Hall said. “This is what all the police, all the fire, all the city utility crews use every day to dispatch to various operations of the city.”

There are no additional costs associated with the agreement.

The Troup County Commission recently approved the same agreement allowing it to communicate on the same radio frequencies as the city and Columbus.

Harris County and Phenix City, Ala., also must approve the agreement.

Also Tuesday, council approved:

n Annexation and zoning ordinances associated with the Avery Farms property on West Point Road. The 138-acre plot north of the road and northwest of Western Heights Baptist Church will be zoned C-3 commercial and R-3 multifamily zoning for incoming construction along the South Loop highway.

n An ordinance amending the false alarm regulation that will allow the city to send an emergency vehicle to the address in question after an alarm is triggered instead of waiting for the alarm company to try to contact with the property owner.

n An ordinance increasing the price of demolition permits in the city from $25 to $50 to help recoup more of the expenses incurred by the city to demolish a structure.