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Morgan County authorizes deployment of six portable radios, orders two chargers to equip brush trucks
Summary
The commission voted to deploy six existing portable radios and purchase two vehicle chargers to support fire and brush truck communications, opting to use county inventory to reduce immediate costs and charge the purchases to the subscriber-radios line.
Morgan County commissioners voted April 2 to deploy six portable radios from county inventory and to order two 12-volt chargers for brush-truck use, a move county staff said will address immediate communications needs while reducing the short-term price tag compared with buying a full replacement set.
The action matters because radios are a primary means of communications for fire, EMS and sheriff units across the county; staff said the decision will put working radios into stations now while the county pursues grants and longer-term replacements.
Marshall, a county operations staff member who managed the request on behalf of the county radio program, told the commission the county has seven APX-series portable radios in inventory that can be redeployed to stations and that doing so would reduce the need for a large immediate purchase. Marshall said the county received requests that included eight new radios with vendor quotes that together would total “a little over $80,000” if purchased in full from the vendor invoices reviewed by staff. He recommended moving existing radios into service and ordering a small number of chargers and a limited number of replacement portables as spares.
Commissioners and staff discussed alternatives, including buying a small number of new radios to replenish inventory and applying for grant programs such as AAVC or other regional interoperability grants mentioned by staff. Marshall described prior budgeting history for radio purchases and said some earlier budgeted funds were used for vehicle purchases instead of replacement radios. Staff also described recent interoperability work with neighboring Maryland agencies and state police channels that increases the operational value of updated radios.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to "authorize Marshall to put the six [radios] in service, deploy them to the requesting stations, and order two chargers," specifying payment from the county subscriber-radios line (account referenced in the discussion as 712-2216). The motion passed on a voice vote; the commission chair called the vote “all in favor.” The transcript does not record a roll-call tally of yes/no votes by name.
Clarifying details from the discussion: staff reported an initial vendor request for eight radios that would total "a little over $80,000" on vendor invoices; staff proposed reusing seven radios from county inventory, ordering a small set of replacement radios going forward and buying two 12-volt chargers to avoid radios running down in the field. Staff also cited that buying three newer replacement units (to restore inventory) would materially reduce future costs compared with purchasing the entire requested set.
The commission directed staff to deploy the six radios, order the chargers, program and distribute them, and to provide an updated inventory report showing which stations hold which radios. Staff said they will pursue grants and report back if additional funds are required.
Ending: The radio deployment decision was framed by staff as an interim operational step to maintain field capabilities while the county seeks grant funding and plans for phased replacement of obsolete models.
