Richland County board approves claims, consent items and selects low bidder for radio upgrade

The Richland County Board met for its regular session and approved several routine items, including the meeting agenda and the consent agenda, by voice vote.

In finance business, the board approved the county claims list after the finance chair reviewed supplemental items and reported no irregularities. The claims packet included non-county claims totaling $709,076.69, according to the finance presentation; the transcript did not specify the exact county-general total shown on the report.

On a major equipment purchase, the board heard competing bids for a countywide radio communications upgrade. Two bids were presented: Global Technical at about $677,000 and VEI at roughly $800,000. The board discussed legal obligations to select the lowest responsive bidder unless there is a documented reason not to. The board also noted funding sources: the 9-1-1 system had earmarked $350,000 toward the project and had approved an additional $27,000 to cover the lower bid difference, according to the presentation. After discussion, the board voted to accept the vendor with the lowest bid; the motion passed.

Officials said the project would furnish multiple new repeaters for county and city use and aim to provide roughly 95% portable radio coverage inside buildings across the county. Presenters noted much of the county's portable radios are 12–14 years old and that additional portable units could be purchased with seized funds as money becomes available.

The meeting closed after other routine reports and announcements.

Votes at a glance: - Agenda approval: passed (voice vote). - Consent agenda: passed (voice vote). - County claims: approved (motion and voice vote). - Radio communications project: board accepted the lowest bid and the motion passed.

Next steps: staff will proceed with procurement steps consistent with the board’s vote and the earmarked funding.