Michigan City board conditionally approves $1.05 million Motorola radio lease pending council funding

Michigan City officers on Monday won conditional approval from the Board of Public Works and Safety to pursue a three-year municipal lease with Motorola for up to $1,050,000 to replace department radios.

Sheesh Paparski of the Michigan City Police Department asked the board for pre-approval so the city could lock in favorable lease terms and trade-in incentives. Paparski said the police need about 90 radios and the fire department about 55, and that the current radios “will no longer be serviceable in the coming year or so.” He said Motorola offered a buy-down of the lease rate to about 2.9 percent and a trade-in credit of roughly $7,800 per radio, plus about $27,000 in accessories and holsters.

“The new radios … have WiFi and LTE built into them,” Paparski said, describing over-the-air updating that would allow local staff to manage firmware and configuration without contracting the service out.

The board’s vote approved the purchase request on the condition that the mayor and city council approve funding and that the proposed trade-ins be authorized. Board members explicitly stated the motion was contingent on council funding, and a board member noted the preliminary expectation that Riverboat funds would be the likely source.

Why it matters: Board members and staff said the swap aims to avoid a looming loss of vendor support and to modernize a decade-old countywide radio backbone. Paparski told the board the radios should last more than a decade and that the devices are compatible with existing county frequencies.

Details: Paparski described the replacement as a largely like-for-like transition: the departments would trade in existing units radio-for-radio (90 police, 55 fire), retain a pool of older radios as backups, and deploy spares. He said the proposed radios include features that simplify software updates and reduce the need for periodic in-person programming. He also said Motorola offered financial incentives tied to pending state legislation and that final appropriation would follow city-council action.

What the board decided: The board approved the request conditionally; final contracting and appropriation remain subject to city-council approval and formal authorization of the trade-ins. Board members recorded unanimous aye votes on the contingent motion.

Next steps: City staff said they will present funding requests to the city council. If the council approves the appropriation, the board’s conditional approval would allow final contract execution and equipment trade-ins to proceed.