Granbury adopts regional radio fee schedule, delegates interlocal template and approves L3Harris security services

Granbury City Council on July 1 approved an interlocal agreement template to allow other governmental entities to join the Granbury Regional Radio Network (GRRN), adopted an ordinance to add radio-network fees to the city's master fee schedule, and authorized a contract for 24/7 monitoring and rapid-response services from L3Harris.

The votes were taken as part of the council's deliberation agenda. Council adopted Ordinance No. 25-26 to add fees for devices and core access to the city's master fee schedule and delegated authority to the city manager to execute the interlocal agreement template with current and future governmental partners. The council also approved a separate purchase order for NOC (network operations center), SOC (security operations center) and rapid-response services from L3Harris for an annual cost not to exceed $176,312 and adopted Ordinance No. 25-27 to amend the general fund budget to cover the remainder of the fiscal year. All three actions passed on voice votes recorded as passing by the council (motions recorded as passed 5-0 in the meeting transcript).

Why it matters: The GRRN is Granbury's P25-compliant radio system used by public-safety agencies across the county. City staff said the template and fee schedule let the city recover ongoing maintenance and security costs from participating agencies rather than asking them to pay the initial capital cost the city absorbed. Staff said the additional L3Harris services provide 24/7 "eyes on glass" monitoring to detect problems earlier and provide faster technical response.

Key details: City staff told the council the initial capital outlay to build the system was about $2.5 million, with roughly another $500,000 since that time. The city has been operating the network under a memorandum of understanding but recommended moving to formal interlocal agreements with partners. The proposal in the packet raised per-device monthly fees from prior figures (staff cited prior device fees of about $13 per month) to new proposed rates (staff showed a $20-per-unit example for mobile radios in the packet), and proposed that participating agencies pay 70% of core costs while the City of Granbury pays 30%.

Deputy City Manager Michael Ross told the council the added services break down as: NOC services $60,012, SOC services $81,600 and rapid-response services $34,700, for a total annual cost not to exceed $176,312. Ross described the program as cost-recovery, saying the city's goal is not profit but to "break even" as additional partners join the system and lower per-unit costs.

Council questions and staff clarifications focused on the fee calculations, projected device counts and timing. One councilmember flagged a spreadsheet math error in a packet table (a monthly total that should have been $9,000 was displayed as $88.65); staff acknowledged the discrepancy, explained the device counts have shifted while entities finalize radios, and said a final "true up" would occur before billing.

The council also approved delegating to the city manager the ability to make non-substantive changes to the interlocal template and to sign agreements that follow the approved template.

What's next: Staff said they will begin using the template to solicit participation from other agencies and will update the fee schedule annually as part of the city budget process. Staff also said forthcoming bills from new partners could lower per-device fees as more radios join the network.