Baker County commissioners approved a plan on July 16 to upgrade local emergency communications by purchasing mountain-top radio repeaters and renewing storage for a state-provided satellite communications unit.

County staff told commissioners they had combined fiscal-year 2023 and 2024 State Homeland Security Grant Program funds to cover multiple repeater purchases and updates. A staff member said costs rose since earlier quotes, and the county sought flexibility to buy three repeaters and related items. The board approved a motion to purchase three repeaters from Raycom to be funded out of fiscal-year 23-24 state homeland security grant program funds; commissioners discussed a “not to exceed $50,000” ceiling to allow for additional cabling, batteries and shipping.

The commissioners also approved amendment 01 to intergovernmental agreement number 181067 with the Oregon Department of Human Services Office of Resiliency and Emergency Management (ODHS/OREM) to retain the county’s SAT Runner (a transportable satellite/Wi‑Fi unit) and continue monthly maintenance and updates. Staff described the device as a transportable cart with a satellite dish and cellular backup that can create a Wi‑Fi network for incident sites.

Why it matters: the repeaters and sat-runner are intended to strengthen multiagency radio and data communications in wildfire and other emergency responses. Staff said combining grant awards allowed the county to maximize purchases while staying within grant caps.

What commissioners approved: a motion to buy three Raycom repeaters funded from state homeland security grants (motion carried) and an intergovernmental-agreement amendment to renew the sat-runner arrangement with ODHS/OREM. Staff will return if procurement quantities or costs exceed the approved not-to-exceed figure.