River Falls council authorizes $480,445 purchase of dual‑band radios to address aging public‑safety equipment

River Falls City Council on June 10 approved a resolution authorizing the city administrator to proceed with purchase of a new public‑safety radio system for police and fire, using general‑fund balance to cover a $480,445.59 equipment quote.

Deputy Chief Matt Kenneth, who presented the department's analysis, told the council the city's current radios are single‑band VHF units, many dating to about 2007 for police and as far back as 1993 for some fire equipment. “The age of equipment is the main thing,” Kenneth said, adding the existing radios have declining battery life, limited performance and gaps in interoperability with county dispatch centers.

The purchase would replace most police portables and refresh roughly 40% of the fire department's needs, Kenneth said. The requested equipment includes 48 portable radios, 8 mobile radios and a base station with seven desk controllers; under the quoted pricing, 28 portables would go to police and 20 to fire. Kenneth said the quoted package comes from Motorola through a government procurement contract and reflected a temporary 40% discount; he warned that tariff changes effective June 13 could increase costs on later quotes.

Why it matters: current county dispatch centers and neighboring jurisdictions are moving toward 700/800 megahertz systems. Kenneth said the city's single‑band VHF radios have made some digital county channels effectively inaudible inside buildings and in parts of downtown. “Our city channel is starting to become a channel that we just don’t use very often. It’s very difficult to get reception on,” he said.

Discussion and funding: City Administrator Scott explained the purchase fits within the city’s fund‑balance policy, which sets a 40% minimum and a 50% target. “When the fund balance goes above 50%, essentially, the city administrator should be looking for ways to reasonably and responsibly spend that money,” Scott said. He recommended using the fund balance for a one‑time purchase rather than adding debt. Council members asked about interoperability with the private ambulance provider; Kenneth said the city currently cannot talk directly with that ambulance operator’s frequency and must request ETA updates through Pierce County dispatch.

Council action: After staff presentations and questions, the council voted to authorize the purchase. The council directed staff to proceed with ordering the radios promptly; staff stated they planned to place the order that week.

What was not decided: The council authorized the purchase of the quoted radios only. Longer‑term infrastructure work (tower replacements, new dispatch center builds) and any additional capital investment remain separate and would require future approvals.

Quotes in context: Deputy Chief Matt Kenneth presented equipment details and interoperability constraints; City Administrator Scott framed the funding decision in the context of the city's fund‑balance policy.

Next steps: Staff will order the radios and continue coordination with county partners about broader interoperability and future infrastructure work.