Lawmakers consider $2 million in grants to help local agencies upgrade public-safety radio equipment

Senate File 2,308 would appropriate $2 million (one-time) for grants to local governments and federally recognized tribes to purchase or upgrade equipment for Minnesota—s Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) system.

Steve Schmidt, Meeker County commissioner and public-safety official, testified the grant program would help counties and local agencies replace aging ARMER radios and equipment that lack modern encryption and interoperability features. "For many local governments, especially in rural areas, securing the necessary funds to upgrade is a significant financial burden," Schmidt said, urging the committee to support the proposal.

Jill Rohr, executive director of the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board, told the committee that the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Service now requires higher encryption for criminal-justice information and that equipment with that capability can be costlier than previously planned replacement cycles. Rohr said Minnesota has a major asset-replacement need over the coming decade and that any assistance will help rural and small agencies.

Committee members acknowledged the wide need but noted $2 million is a limited band-aid compared to prior grant rounds with far higher demand. Senator Anderson said past grant rounds produced dozens of applications and that available dollars fell well short of requests; other members asked for a longer-term funding solution rather than annual or ad-hoc grants.

The committee laid Senate File 2,308 over for possible inclusion in an omnibus package.