Benzie County approves up to $2.65 million for emergency communications tower

The Benzie County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 22 to accept Motorola Solutions' proposal to install an emergency communications tower, authorizing a total project cost not to exceed $2,650,000 to be paid from the capital projects fund.

The motion, made by Commissioner Rhonda Nye and seconded by Commissioner Markey, included a waiver of the county's competitive-bidding process. Rebecca Hubers was present to answer questions from commissioners during the action-item discussion. The board's roll-call vote recorded six ayes; Commissioner Jeannot was excused.

County officials characterized the project as an upgrade to local emergency communications infrastructure. The board did not set an exact construction timetable during the meeting; the motion authorized acceptance of Motorola's proposal and budget authorization up to the stated amount. The county administrator and legal staff were given direction to complete contracting steps and compliance reviews as required.

Why it matters: County emergency towers support law-enforcement, fire, and EMS radio communications across rural areas where coverage gaps can delay response times. The funding — drawn from the capital projects fund — commits a significant local resource and will likely require project-level procurement, permitting and scheduled construction updates.

What to watch next: The board approved the proposal and budget authorization; subsequent steps should include final contract execution, any necessary permitting, and a public project timeline from county staff.