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Commissioners approve $79,000 sheriff radio purchase after heated exchange over prior allocations
Summary
After a lengthy exchange about whether funds were previously allocated and spent, the board approved a $79,145.09 purchase of 11 Motorola APX 8500 mobile radios from the sheriff's capital fund by a 2–1 vote; one commissioner voted no citing concerns funds had already been allocated earlier and not spent on radios.
The Pacific County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 28 approved the sheriff's request to buy 11 Motorola APX 8500 dual‑band mobile radios for $79,145.09 (plus sales tax) from the sheriff's capital fund (Fund 308), but the purchase prompted a contentious discussion over whether funds had been previously budgeted for this purpose.
Sheriff's representative Ray told the board the purchase was an upgrade from equipment that is roughly 25–30 years old: "They should be in use for the next probably 20 years," he said, adding that new dual‑band capabilities are needed for interoperability with fire departments and state patrol.
One commissioner vocalized strong objections, asserting that the sheriff's office had previously been allocated capital dollars and did not use them to purchase radios when earlier vehicles were upfitted. The commissioner said the earlier FY23–24 capital budget included funds that could have covered radios and called the current supplement request "a misuse of funds." He explained his decision by citing fiscal-principle concerns and said, "I'm gonna say nay for these reasons I stated."
Sheriff Ray and other county staff responded that the funds intended for radios during the earlier vehicle purchases were in a different ER&R fund and that procedural obstacles prevented those purchases at that time. County finance staff (Paul Blacker) and other commissioners also noted that appropriations existed within the sheriff's FY24 budget and county capital funds and urged clearer interdepartmental communication to avoid future supplementation.
Despite the disagreement, the motion passed with two commissioners voting in favor and one opposed. The board recorded continuing concerns about communication, fund tracking and procurement timing; commissioners asked staff and the sheriff's office to be more proactive in clarifying which funds and processes apply to capital radio purchases going forward.
The purchase will proceed to procurement under the NASPO state contract cited in the motion.
