Morgan County approves $340,000 lease to upgrade 9‑1‑1 equipment, authorizes Motorola contract

Morgan County commissioners voted Jan. 28 to finance new 9‑1‑1 equipment with a $340,000 lease and authorized county leaders to sign related contracts so vendors can begin work.

Marshall Teer, Morgan County's 9‑1‑1 director, presented financing options and told commissioners the county received two proposals and the best practical option required an unsecured tax‑exempt arrangement at interest rates discussed in the packet. The commission approved Option 2: a $150,000 down payment and a five‑year payment schedule that produces a monthly payment the meeting recorded as $6,579. Commissioners said the $150,000 down payment will be split — $100,000 from the opioid settlement fund and $50,000 from 9‑1‑1 carryover funds.

Commissioners voted to borrow $340,000 for the lease and then amended the motion to authorize the commission president to sign the lease documents and the Motorola contract so the vendor can begin engineering and procurement work. Following the vote, commissioners instructed staff to coordinate final financing paperwork with CNB/Country Roads Leasing and to proceed with ordering equipment once signatures were in place.

The vote followed discussion about competing financing offers and the need to keep 9‑1‑1 equipment current. Marshall Teer described prior outreach to banks and leasing firms and the staff recommendation included the two down‑payment options and a five‑year repayment term. The motion carried by voice vote.

Next steps: county staff will complete paperwork with the selected lessor and the commission president was authorized to sign both lease documents and the Motorola contract so the project can proceed to procurement and installation.