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Emergency management seeks funding and study to decide whether to sustain town radio system or migrate to state network
Summary
Emergency management told the Board of Selectmen the town faces a decision after Motorola proposed a steep price increase to sustain the locally owned radio system. Officials recommended budgeting at the higher sustainment level while pursuing a study of costs to migrate to the state 800MHz system and seeking legal counsel on contract breakage terms.
Emergency management officials described exercises, CERT expansion and a newly commissioned emergency operations center and asked the board to budget for radio-system sustainment while they evaluate longer-term options.
The Emergency Management Director said the town’s five-year maintenance contract is ending mid-2026 and that Motorola initially proposed a 31% contract increase. Officials described three basic options: (1) do nothing and maintain the town-owned VHF system piecemeal; (2) accept a sustainment/upgrade contract (options presented included a one-year or four-year sustainment option); or (3) migrate to the state 800MHz trunked radio system, which would entail an engineering (propagation) study to determine whether surrounding towers and infrastructure could cover the town and what additional repeaters would be required.
The director said the initial capital ask had been positioned at the higher number to hedge risk and recommended budgeting $179,217 for sustainment while staff pursues analysis of breakage clauses and migration costs; he said Motorola’s early pricing communications were inadequately substantiated and staff will ask legal counsel to interpret contract breakage consequences. Board members emphasized the operational safety benefit of interoperable statewide communications for mutual aid and asked staff to provide a cost/benefit analysis before finalizing the long-term approach.
Emergency management requested a capital authorization and a sustainment contract option be entered into while a migration study is completed. The board signaled support for budgeting conservatively and asked staff to return with a more detailed recommendation for the Board of Finance cycle.
