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Commissioner details $24.4M Tillamook County radio bond; Wheeler residents ask about costs and coverage
Summary
Tillamook County Commissioner Doug Olsen told Wheeler councilors the county seeks roughly $24.4 million for a countywide digital public‑safety radio replacement, citing a $2 million federal grant and an estimated tax of about $0.33 per $1,000 assessed value; residents asked how the debt will affect low‑income households and whether coverage will improve.
Tillamook County Commissioner Doug Olsen presented a countywide radio‑system bond proposal to the Wheeler City Council on Sept. 17, saying consultants from Federal Engineering estimated the project at roughly $24.4 million and the county has secured a $2 million federal grant to offset costs.
Olsen described the planned system as digital, intended to replace aging analog radios used by sheriff, police, fire, ambulance and public‑works agencies. He said the project includes roughly 1,200 new handheld and vehicle radios, upgrades to equipment on existing towers (12 towers with a planned 13th), and about a 20% contingency in the bond measure.
He estimated the tax impact at about $0.33 per $1,000 of assessed value. "If you have a home that's worth, say, $500,000, it's probably on the tax rolls for about $300,000. You take the $300,000 times the 33¢, and you end up with $90‑some dollars annually," Olsen said.
Olsen said the system should improve interoperability countywide — he cited experts' estimates of approximately 95% coverage — and described a Rockaway Beach incident in which radio limitations contributed to confusion among responders. "There had been others dispatched … and when the other two officers arrived, it got even worse, and one of the officers shot and killed a man," he said, arguing better radio clarity can reduce risk.
Residents asked whether the bond would affect cell service (Olsen: it would not; the work is strictly for two‑way radios) and questioned how the cost would affect renters and low‑income residents. Olsen said bond repayment is through property tax and that owners of seasonal properties contribute when they own assessed property in the county.
No formal county action was taken at the Wheeler meeting; Olsen invited questions and said the county plans to sell bonds after election certification and proceed with procurement and installation over the following two years, including a manufacturer's warranty period and agency handover obligations.
