Bonner County leaders urge phased plan for $1.9 million microwave backhaul to harden emergency radio links

Bonner County officials spent a significant portion of a budget workshop discussing a proposed microwave communications project intended to add redundancy to the county’s emergency radio system and keep fire, ambulance and law-enforcement radios tied to dispatch when outages occur. The sheriff’s office described a $1,900,000 anticipated cost to install microwave backhaul links and equipment at multiple repeater sites, and the board directed staff to return with a phased implementation plan and funding options.

Officials said the project would install microwave dishes on repeater sites and backhaul links that connect repeaters to dispatch. The sheriff’s office representative said, “We’re going to do set up, communications through microwave system to our sites … These are microwave backhaul links. When communications is interrupted, we cannot talk. And this guarantees that all the emergency services, fire, ambulance, and law enforcement can communicate,” and emphasized the work would add redundancy rather than replace existing equipment.

The discussion focused on scale and phasing. County staff reported per-site equipment estimates of roughly $52,708 and stated there are six sites under consideration; the total equipment estimate provided in the discussion was about $1.3 million, with separate line items for backhaul links of roughly $900,000. Commissioners asked whether the work could be staged per site rather than funded and built all at once. Commissioner Corn pressed for a phased approach: “We have to start working on it and stop asking for it to be worked on. The way to start is to pick a phase and a location and start working on it.”

County finance staff flagged a potential funding source, saying there may be available cash in fund 00824 that could be used for capital set‑aside but cautioned that some revenue in that account is restricted and cannot be used for this project. Staff said 911 line fees cannot be used to pay for the microwave equipment; the project would need to be supported from other cash funds or by building a capital account and saving over multiple years.

Board members and the sheriff’s office agreed to return with more detailed, site‑by‑site cost breakdowns and an implementation schedule showing which sites could be started sooner. County staff committed to check current fund balances and to prepare a capital‑improvement plan that would let the board present phased progress to the community. One staff member summarized the next steps: prepare per‑site costs, identify funding available this fiscal year, and explore whether the equipment purchase and the link construction can be staged so “something is happening” sooner rather than later.

Background and context: participants noted the county currently lacks redundancy at repeater sites and uses analog radio ties; the project would move the county toward redundant links and inform future planning about a possible full digital upgrade. No formal vote or authorization to spend occurred during the workshop; the discussion produced direction to return with a detailed phased plan and funding analysis for the project so the board can consider funding in future budget actions.

Speakers quoted or identified in this article appeared in the budget workshop transcript and include county commissioners, finance staff and representatives of the sheriff’s office. Specific attributions are limited to those speakers who spoke on this topic during the meeting.