Lavaca County Commissioners voted Dec. 23 to add a fifth channel to the county's new 800 MHz public-safety radio system, a purchase estimated at $156,000 that officials say will be partially reimbursed by regional grants and a direct contribution from Jackson County.

Chief Michael Furt, presenting the county communications committee update, told the court the extra channel is needed after Yoakum Police and EMS moved onto the regional system and increased radio traffic. "So essentially, we have a backup to a backup to a backup," Furt said, describing the system's redundancy and VHF fallback at each tower site.

Why it matters: county officials said the upgrade improves building penetration, extends coverage across the county and into neighboring jurisdictions, and lets dispatchers communicate directly with surrounding counties without phone relays. Testing described to the court included handheld communications from as far as Hallettville to Belmont and confirmed coverage inside school buildings.

Funding and timeline: Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission previously awarded about $86,000 tied to replacing VHF repeaters; county staff requested permission to reallocate those funds toward the additional 800 MHz channel. Jackson County offered $20,000, and commissioners were told the remainder would be about $50,000 net to Lavaca County. Furt said the extra channel could be implemented in about five months after ordering equipment. Commissioners discussed whether to add the cost to the county's existing Motorola lease or pay it up front; staff estimated leasing interest would total roughly $22,000 over four years.

Asset control and security: Furt said every radio will be tracked with serial numbers and county asset tags and subjected to at least annual audits. He also highlighted encryption and a remote-disable feature: "If someone loses a radio, we have the capability now of turning that radio off," the judge noted during discussion.

Action: A motion to approve the county communications committee update and to add the fifth channel (total cost $156,000, to be reimbursed in part by a Golden Crescent interoperability grant and by a $20,000 contribution from Jackson County) carried unanimously. The court approved proceeding and left financing details (lease vs. up-front payment) for later decision.

Next steps: county staff will finalize procurement paperwork, coordinate the grant reimbursement process, and return to the court with payment/lease details and a project schedule.