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County advances communications plan; orders repeater, seeks $50,000 appropriation for tower repairs
Summary
Decatur County agreed to buy a 700 MHz repeater and seek $50,000 in appropriations from a county 911 fund to cover radio upgrades and repairs to the Greensburg tower; procurement timing and advertising requirements mean repairs may not finish until the fall.
Decatur County commissioners authorized procurement steps May 19 to upgrade communications equipment and seek appropriation authority after county staff found sufficient balance in the county''s 491 (countywide 911) fund.
County emergency communications staff said a 700 megahertz repeater is available and that ordering it now would cost roughly $20,000 including licensing. The county''s 911 fund has leftover budget dollars from prior years, staff said, and the administrator will seek county council approval to appropriate $50,000 so the repairs and equipment purchase can proceed.
Staff warned commissioners that procurement notices and appropriation processes add delay: equipment lead times of about three weeks plus a 10-day appropriation advertisement can push completion into September. Commissioners discussed the option of calling a special council session or transferring within the budget lines to shorten the delay.
"If we could order the longest-lead equipment now, we could reduce delay," one commissioner said; staff said they would explore ordering equipment and expedited appropriation steps.
The board also approved three quoted repair packages for the Greensburg tower and authorized staff to proceed with the vendor work once appropriation is secured. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate site clearance work (tree/brush removal) before equipment installation and to provide vendor and schedule details at the next meeting.
Ending: Commissioners approved the procurement direction and asked staff to pursue county-council appropriation for $50,000 from the countywide 911 fund so tower and repeater work can proceed without further delay.
