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Emergency management flags steep radio contract increase; town weighs alternatives
Summary
Emergency management director reported vendor Motorola initially quoted a 31% price increase for radio maintenance (later reduced to ~21%) and said staff are modeling whether moving to the state radio system — which would require additional repeater sites — is feasible.
Russ Kimes, emergency management director, told the board that emergency management has expanded exercises, an emergency operations center and community alerting tools (Everbridge and Alertus). He said staff reallocated a $17,000 service‑contract line into more granular software and hardware accounts to improve transparency.
Kimes warned the board that Motorola, the town’s radio vendor, proposed a substantial contract increase for sustainment and repair of the town’s radio system. "Motorola came back at us with a 31% contract over contract increase in the price," Kimes said; he later said negotiations and vendor engagement reduced that figure to roughly 21% but that the increase still represents a major budget pressure. Kimes said staff are running propagation and cost models to see whether joining the state radio system is cost‑effective; preliminary modeling indicates New Canaan would need about three additional repeater sites and a large upfront capital outlay to achieve town‑wide “radio‑on‑the‑hip” coverage.
Kimes reviewed Alertus and Everbridge subscription lines — Alertus has an annual fee covering multiple buildings — and said some lines were reduced where free training or historical underspending allowed it, while the WAN chargeback and Alertus beacons increased the department’s operating ask.
Board members asked about breakage fees, multiband radios and buy vs. lease tradeoffs; Kimes said more analysis and vendor quotes will be provided before council action.
