Harvey County commissioners on June 24 approved a $320,000 purchase of 100 portable radios from a Colorado dealer to replace radios the county says are being discontinued and are becoming difficult to service.

The purchase, made after staff identified a local dealer holding surplus compatible radios at a lower price, is intended to ensure interoperable, encrypted communications across the sheriff’s office, detention center, emergency management, road and bridge and other county departments. Don Gruber, director of communications for Harvey County, told commissioners the county previously purchased radios on five‑year lease schedules and discovered Motorola has discontinued older models and limited service and parts.

County Communications Director Don Gruber said the county received an offer from a Denver‑area Motorola dealer for 100 new radios priced at $3,200 each and recommended buying them all to create a reserve stock. “They’re offering each for $3,200 to us if we take all 100 of them,” Gruber said.

Gruber outlined operational reasons for replacing radios, including discontinued parts and support, and said the county would prioritize encrypted radios for the detention center and park patrols; radios replaced in primary roles would be cascaded to other departments or held as spares. He said the radios include higher‑capacity batteries that should last longer on 12‑hour shifts. Commissioners and staff discussed the shorter recommended replacement lifecycle for portable radios (roughly seven to ten years) versus earlier assumptions of much longer lifespans.

County staff told the commission the purchase will be funded with a mix of CARES Act funds and general fund reserves; officials said buying the full 100 at the offered price produced a volume discount and provides a small on‑hand inventory to replace radios as they fail. Commissioner discussion included concerns about obsolescence and the tradeoff between buying discontinued models at reduced cost versus paying substantially more for the newest models.

Commissioner motion language stated the county would purchase 100 portable radios from Rocky Mountain Communication Systems for $320,000 and waive the purchasing policy to secure the deal. The motion was seconded and approved by the board.

The county will take delivery of the radios and distribute them to priority units; some replaced units will be kept in inventory for future replacements or issued to volunteer agencies as needed.