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State warns Miami County radio infrastructure will need replacement; estimated multi‑million cost discussed
Summary
County staff briefed commissioners that Motorola will stop supporting current radio infrastructure and the state is considering a large-scale replacement; staff and commissioners discussed potential state funding versus county responsibility and long-term costs for towers and consoles.
Miami County staff reported on March 26 that Motorola has notified the state its existing radio infrastructure will no longer be supported and that replacement will be required over the coming years.
Mark, presenting information from the Mid America Regional Council and state contacts, said state agencies are discussing how to handle replacement of statewide infrastructure and whether the state would cover counties’ shares. “They’re gonna be working with Governor Kelly’s office to determine how the state share of the system is gonna be replaced,” Mark said. Staff relayed a statewide replacement estimate well over $100 million; county-level estimates discussed during the session put Miami County’s portion in the multi‑million‑dollar range, with a rough figure of $8 million mentioned by staff as a possible scaled local cost.
Why it matters: The county owns six radio sites and shelters that are part of the 800‑megahertz system; replacing site controllers, base stations and dispatch consoles would be a significant capital project. Mark told commissioners that replacing sheriff dispatch consoles alone could be about $250,000 per console and that mobile and portable radios would be a separate, later cost.
Background and next steps: Staff described the county’s history moving from VHF to 800 MHz several years ago, the build-out of six county-maintained tower sites and co‑location on a seventh KDOT tower, and how the county financed equipment and tower work. Commissioners asked about bonding and existing payoff schedules; Lucas said the county has bond debt outstanding from the 2020 system financing and noted the 800 MHz loan principal remaining and its payoff timeline (Commissioner commentary placed payoff around 2032). Mark said state-level discussions are early: department heads and state staff are meeting and the governor’s office is involved; no legislative appropriation has been finalized.
Commission direction and risk: Commissioners asked staff to prepare a concise summary for state legislators and representatives to support future funding requests and to track developments from the 9‑1‑1 coordinating council and KDOT. No formal county commitment or vote was taken; staff recommended continued monitoring and preparing for long‑range capital planning.
Ending: Staff will prepare a written summary and follow up with the commission and legislative delegation as state planning develops.
