Fort Smith’s Board of Directors opened a special meeting Nov. 10 to consider a $5.3 million purchase from Motorola Solutions for radio infrastructure tied to the River Valley Communications Center (RVCC) consolidation.

Wes Milam, the executive director of the RVCC and director of public safety communications, told the board the purchase is intended to replace 20‑year‑old consoles and to equip a hardened facility at the site the RVCC board selected, 4501 Burrell (Burrow) Road. “We currently in Fort Smith and Sebastian County, we have 14 total consoles in use. They’ve been in use since 2005…they’re 20 years old, and we are looking to replace those,” Milam said.

Milam said the configuration presented to the board is tied to the Burrell Road site and its microwave/AWIN redundancy plan. He said Motorola offered timing incentives and extended a pricing incentive to Dec. 19, which staff said factored into the special-meeting timing.

Several directors pushed back on the specific financing and facility assumptions. “I feel like this was presented to us as the only option,” Director Christina Kitsavas said, urging the board to look at less‑costly alternatives and asking why Sebastian County would not be party to the Motorola lease. Milam and staff said the city now manages the state turnback fund that supports 9‑1‑1 operations and that an interlocal agreement anticipates the city paying 70% of operating costs and the county 30%.

Directors proposed alternatives including using available space in the Carnell Building or temporarily consolidating at the police department, or reducing the number of new consoles. “We could do that. As long as it’s on a temporary basis,” Milam said about using the police department, but warned the existing radios have limited remaining service and the consolidated operation would require additional capacity.

Finance and staff briefings described a roughly $4.2 million starting balance of transferred turnback funds and projected annual turnback receipts near $1.8 million. Staff said those dedicated revenues could service long‑term financing, but board members said they need a clearer multi‑year spreadsheet of capital and operating impacts before committing to a turnkey contract and a specific facility.

Outcome and next steps: the board did not adopt the Motorola resolution at this meeting. A motion earlier in the discussion to adopt item 1 was seconded and later the second was withdrawn, ending that motion without a formal vote. Directors requested additional cost scenarios (reduced console counts, alternate facilities, and financing options) and said staff should return with a full financial presentation before any binding action. Staff also said Motorola may reconfigure or repricing could change if the facility choice shifts.