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Carroll County to pursue phased Homeland Security radio grant as county radios could cost about $500,000
Summary
County staff told the Fiscal Court a Kentucky Homeland Security radio grant could fund radios in phases; local officials said the full cost to outfit county vehicles and radios may be roughly $500,000, so the county will likely pursue a multi-year approach and seek reimbursements and partnerships.
Carroll County officials on Sept. 23 discussed pursuing a Kentucky Department of Homeland Security radio grant to modernize emergency communications, but county staff warned the project will likely require multiple grant cycles and local funding.
"We're probably gonna get is between a 150 to 200,000, just for the radio grants," Matt, director of the Department of Government Services, told the court, urging a phased approach. He said the radios and related equipment are expensive and recommended spreading the work over two to three years.
Why it matters: County leaders said equipping all emergency vehicles and public-safety partners could exceed what a single grant round would pay. Matt and other staff emphasized that repeaters and additional infrastructure may be needed after an initial purchase of handheld and mobile radios.
County staff provided several cost reference points during the discussion. Matt said a county estimate for vehicle-mounted and mobile radios could be about $500,000. He also referenced prior grant awards in neighboring counties (a radio-only allocation in one county was cited at about $191,000) to show funding varies by year and demand.
Court members asked about what the grant covers and whether towers or repeaters would be eligible. Matt and others said the grant most clearly covers handsets and mobile radios but that there may be limited potential for repeaters and related equipment; they recommended treating the project as multi-phase and returning to the state for additional phases.
Next steps: Staff said they will continue to develop a phased grant application, coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and city partners about cost-sharing, and return to the court with a more detailed budget and schedule. No formal vote on grant application was recorded at the meeting.
QUOTE: "Radios are pretty expensive, so we're gonna have to probably do a 2 year phase on radios and then look at repeaters and additional items like that," Matt said.
