County court members voted Jan. 7 to increase Gilliam County’s budget allocation to cover a significant rise in the proposed Motorola maintenance and upgrade contract for Frontier Telenet, the inter‑county public‑safety radio consortium.

Ryan (speaker 5), speaking for Frontier Telenet, said the Motorola “SUA” maintenance agreement would jump from $248,897 last year to $384,417 under the new four‑year proposal. "That number will go up to 160,797," he said, describing the per‑user cost for participating counties and Frontier 911 if the contract is signed. He said Motorola removed prior incentive discounts and that the increase—about 54%—is not explained by ordinary CPI adjustments.

Facing limited vendor options, Ryan told the court the practical choices were to sign the proposed contract, continue to push Motorola for concessions before the contract is finalized, or decline the purchase and leave the system at greater risk of becoming unsupported over time. "If a server fails and you can't buy that server, you can't fix the system," he warned, stressing potential life‑safety consequences.

Commissioners noted Wheeler County had already approved the allocation, and after discussion Commissioner (S2) moved to approve the budget increase for Gilliam County. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously; the court recorded that the first county payment would be due in the next fiscal year (beginning July).

The court framed its approval as a budget allocation decision rather than direct acceptance of Motorola contract terms—Frontier Telenet as an entity will still sign the contract at the board level. Ryan said he continued to negotiate for discounts but cautioned commissioners not to expect dramatic reductions once the board has signed.

Outcome: the court approved increasing the county's next‑fiscal‑year budget allocation to cover Frontier Telenet's proposed Motorola SUA; Frontier Telenet will proceed depending on the board’s contract approval.