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Commissioners discuss staggered replacements for 911 tower battery backups to avoid budget shock
Summary
Dispatch supervisor described vendor options for tower battery backups — lower‑cost 12‑year units versus pricier 20‑year units — and commissioners discussed rotating replacements and coordinating purchases with repeater upgrades; a decision was deferred to the 911 board.
During the work session Brenda Holger, the county dispatch supervisor, reported on quotes and technical options for battery backups at multiple radio towers and urged a cost‑effective approach.
Holger summarized the tradeoffs: the cheaper batteries would provide similar runtime during an outage but have a 12‑year rated lifespan compared with 20 years for the higher‑cost option. As she put it, "Basically, bigger batteries, longer life... The cheaper versions are 12. The other ones are 20," and she said vendors estimated about a week of runtime on any of the quoted options.
Several commissioners and technical staff discussed whether to replace all batteries at once or stagger purchases to create a rotation and limit large single‑year expenses. One staffer suggested buying a limited number of 20‑year units to start a rotation and then replace others later to spread costs. Technical compatibility concerns were raised for specific sites where existing systems are 24‑volt or 48‑volt and where repeaters under procurement require matching battery systems.
Holger said she would bring the vendor quotes and a recommendation to the 911 board for a formal decision and suggested a special meeting or conference call including neighboring counties to discuss experiences with the vendors and equipment. Commissioners asked staff to verify which towers must be upgraded to complete pending repeater work before finalizing battery purchases.
Next steps: staff will provide a clearer cost comparison, compatibility check by tower, and a recommended replacement schedule to the 911 board; no procurement vote occurred at the work session.
