County says new radio system is live; dispatch still short‑staffed and under budget pressure

County communications staff told the joint budget workshop on Aug. 27 that the county’s radio replacement contract signed in December is operational and the new system was taken live on July 24.

The presenter described the prior system as “antiquated” with some equipment 10–25 years old and said the replacement included microwave and fiber links to the LCRA core in Austin for redundancy. “It is live and operational,” dispatch staff said, while acknowledging a handful of remaining “bugs” and back‑end work.

Staffing and budget impacts: Consolidated dispatch (911) is carrying several vacant positions (four were reported) and correspondingly high overtime. County staff said vacancies persist partly because newly hired staff enter long training programs (six to eight months) and some trainees fail or must delay completion. The county plans to keep the positions in next year’s budget to reduce overtime when those slots are filled.

Capital vs. operating: The radio replacement was a capital project added last year (about a half‑million dollars noted in the presentation) and therefore reduced next year’s capital outlay; dispatch’s operations budget is down about 16 percent from last year because most of the one‑time radio capital expense has been completed. However, monthly airtime and ongoing maintenance remain as recurring costs shared with volunteer departments.

Discussion vs. decision: Presenters explained that the new system reduces maintenance risk and increases reliability; no formal actions took place. Commissioners and council members asked staff to continue recruiting to fill vacancies and to provide updated overtime projections.

Ending: County staff said they will pursue hiring and training to reduce overtime and continue to address final system work items identified after the July go‑live.