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SFPUC seeks new Motorola radio system and increased water bond authority for monitoring; committee backs amendments
Summary
The SFPUC requested a P25 digital Motorola land mobile radio system to replace aging infrastructure (capital ~$9.12M; total ~$10.9M) and sought a $12.6M increase in water revenue bond authority for WESIP mitigation monitoring; the committee recommended amendments to funding and forwarded items with positive recommendation.
Ken Salmon, IT Director for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, presented a proposal to replace the water enterprise’s aging low‑band analog radio system with a modern P25 trunked digital radio system from Motorola. The capital cost was cited at about $9.12 million with roughly $1.8 million per year in maintenance over eight years for a total contract value near $10.9 million. Salmon said the SFPUC will own system components, towers and FCC licenses and that the system will be interoperable with city mutual-aid channels.
Funding was described as a mix: $2.3M from a project capital budget, $2.72M reallocated from the operating budget, and an additional ~$4.1M requested from water enterprise fund balance (total appropriation request ~ $6.814M) to partially fund the capital purchase. BLA recommended an amendment to appropriate about $4.1M from the fund balance with the remainder from operating budgets; the committee accepted that amendment and forwarded the item with a positive recommendation.
Separately, SFPUC Chief Financial Officer Eric Sandler asked the committee to authorize an additional $12.6M of water revenue bond issuance and appropriate proceeds to fund long-term mitigation and monitoring obligations for the Water System Improvement Program (WESIP). Presenters described permit-driven mitigation obligations, including revegetation and ongoing monitoring and said the agency expects the bonds to be issued this winter. BLA noted the water financing plan is paid by ratepayers and forecasted rate impacts in the next two fiscal years; BLA recommended approval and the committee forwarded the actions to the full board.
