Spencer County court rejects new radios, approves $29,500 refurbished system for sheriff

The Spencer County Fiscal Court voted July 15 to purchase refurbished radios and a repeater for the sheriff's office for $29,500, after rejecting a proposal to buy new radios.

Sheriff Scott Herndon had urged the court in a written statement that new radios would provide a three-year warranty and better reliability than used equipment. "My concerns are with a used system — we are taking too much of a chance with first responders and public safety," he wrote in the packet. The court first considered a motion to buy new radios; that motion failed when only two members (Esq. Jim Travis and County Judge Executive John Riley) voted in favor and the remaining members voted against it.

Shortly afterward, the court approved a motion to buy refurbished radios and a repeater from Sunny Communications for $29,500, authorizing a transfer of $29,500 from account #0191005210 to account #0151363480. The motion to purchase refurbished equipment passed on a separate vote.

The transcript shows the sheriff urged investment in a new system for warranty and vendor reasons; the court majority instead supported the lower-cost refurbished option. The record does not show a technical evaluation presented in the meeting packet comparing the systems beyond the sheriff's letter.

The court's purchase decision was framed as a budgetary compromise: members cited cost savings and the availability of a refurbished system with an immediate price and account transfer identified in the motion. The minutes record the motions, the maker and seconder, and the recorded votes. The court did not set an implementation date for the new equipment nor did the packet include a copy of the equipment warranty for the refurbished radios.

The court approved a related, smaller equipment purchase that evening — front bumper guards for sheriff vehicles for $1,344.52 — as part of routine business.