Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Communications topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County council backs $1.29 million radio upgrade; consultant addendum approved pending legal review
Summary
County council approved expanding a county radio upgrade to include three additional 700 MHz channels and funded the project at $1,293,066; the commissioners approved a consultant addendum to oversee design, FCC filings and deployment pending legal counsel review.
Owen County councilors authorized a $1,293,066 budget for a countywide radio communications upgrade, and commissioners agreed to a consulting addendum to finalize design and oversee deployment, pending legal review.
The 9-1-1 advisory board and county staff had recommended expanding the project’s scope to add three 700 MHz channels to improve coverage countywide and provide better bridging with the statewide 800 MHz system used by the sheriff’s office. Councilors approved the larger budget at the meeting; supporters said the expanded configuration would substantially improve coverage and allow local users to retain their statewide 800 MHz capability while gaining broader local coverage from the new system.
Terry Kelly, the radio consultant, described a scope that includes engineering for a new tower structure, FCC licensing for the additional channels and independent oversight and performance testing (including propagation and in-field acceptance testing). The consulting agreement includes a performance guarantee provision tied to testing and acceptance, which the consultant said would create contractual accountability should a vendor fail to deliver required coverage.
Commissioners moved to sign the consultant addendum but made the vote contingent on legal counsel reviewing the contract language; county counsel and advisory board members agreed to review the documents and return the agreement for signature. Commissioners also authorized the memorandum-of-agreement action to allow additional sirens managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to trigger the county warning system (see related article).
Councilors and commissioners described the project as a public-safety priority and asked staff to coordinate with state officials and radio vendors. The council’s vote to fund the expanded scope carried at the meeting.
