Greenlee County approves purchase of enterprise drone for public works and emergency use

Greenlee County’s Board of Supervisors voted to buy an enterprise-grade unmanned aerial system after hearing staff say the newer model will let the county do larger surveys, take higher-resolution imagery and support public-safety tasks in-house.

County Engineer Reed Larson told the board the county has been operating an older drone that is at “the end of its life” and that the newer model carries higher-end camera payloads and larger batteries that extend range and flight time. “The camera on this new UAV costs two or three times more than that whole bird cost,” Larson said, arguing the upgrade would let staff handle larger mapping jobs and reduce reliance on outside contractors.

Larson and other staff described past uses of the county’s drone for road inspections, landfill and fairgrounds overflights and verification of a recent drainage berm. He said the county sometimes hires commercial services for larger jobs and that bringing more capability in-house would save money over time.

Board members asked about vendor choice and lifespan. Larson said he had sought quotes from Altera (a long-term supplier) but found Drone Nerds was able to deliver sooner and at a competitive price because of current supply-chain and tariff pressures. Board members discussed possible department-sharing uses, including search-and-rescue, and law enforcement interest in payload options such as searchlights and loudspeakers.

The board then voted to approve the purchase of the drone, batteries and related equipment not to exceed $27,000. The motion passed by voice vote.

County staff said the existing drone will be retained as a backup while the new system is placed into service and that the equipment could be used by multiple county departments to support engineering, public works, emergency response and law enforcement tasks.