The Lorain County Board of Commissioners voted to terminate the lease between the board and Cleveland Communications Inc. for space at the tower at 225 Burns Road in Elyria, a move that prompted public-safety officials to seek clarity about possible impacts on local communications.

William DeSaldin, chief of the Sullivan/Sheffield Village Police Department and president of the Lorain County Chiefs of Police Association, told the commissioners he and other chiefs were not given advance notice about the item and that early reports had prompted calls from concerned mayors and staff. “We were just left in the dark, and we have serious concerns … that you’re gonna tear down a tower or a microwave link and severing our communications, which is highly, highly gonna affect the safety of our residents and our law enforcement officers, as well as our first responders,” DeSaldin said.

County officials answered that the agenda item was largely procedural and that the county does not operate the communications system. The county administrator said the contract with the vendor requires a decision within 60 days of Oct. 20 and that the county placed the item on the agenda to preserve rights under the contract. “This particular item is not as controversial as it may seem by some people, but it’s another step in a process to is to the communications issue,” the county administrator said, adding the county was not tearing down the tower and was not interrupting service.

The administrator said the vendor had an obligation to customers to provide a continuity plan and, as of roughly 90 minutes before the meeting, had requested discussions about a possible extension. The administrator said the county would sit down with the vendor and “make sure that there is no interruption,” but that the vendor controls on/off access to the system.

The board approved the termination authorization after discussion; the vote was recorded as approved with all commissioners present voting in favor.

The county said it will issue a press release with further details and encouraged affected jurisdictions to return to the board if the release does not answer outstanding questions.

Why it matters: The tower serves Sheffield Village, Sheffield Lake and parts of Elyria, and local chiefs said any interruption or removal of microwave links could affect law enforcement and first-responder communications. Commissioners described the action as preserving the county’s contractual options while staff and vendor negotiate next steps.