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SLED to manage Palmetto 800 radio system; subcommittee removes procurement exemption
Summary
The Criminal Justice Finance Subcommittee approved transferring administration of the statewide Palmetto 800 radio interoperability program to SLED and deleted a proposed procurement exemption; SLED officials said the system serves about 47,000 users and will require tower expansion and new user‑fee funding.
The Criminal Justice Finance Subcommittee voted to transfer administration of the Palmetto 800 statewide radio interoperability program to the State Law Enforcement Division and to remove a procurement exemption that would have amended current statute.
Morgan, staff to the subcommittee, said the amendment transfers all funds, employees, assets, liabilities and contracts for the program from the Department of Administration to SLED and directs SLED to administer interoperability operations for the Palmetto 800 system. The committee adopted the proviso as amended to delete the procurement exemption.
Chief Keith of SLED told the panel the system is “a critical system for South Carolina” and serves about 47,000 users across fire, EMS, law enforcement and emergency management. “We need about 47 more towers in the state,” he said, describing tower‑build and user‑fee components of the program. He estimated additional user fees of roughly $4.4 million to $4.7 million and about $13.4 million in capital costs for tower construction, adding that a single new tower can cost about $2 million.
Chief Keith said SLED expects to prioritize tower build‑out in rural coverage gaps and that the transfer would let SLED manage integration and keep agencies on a consistent communications platform. He also said SLED can provide the fiscal and integration report called for in the proviso and that, if needed, the committee can request extensions from the chairs of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees.
Why it matters: The Palmetto 800 system is the primary statewide radio network used by first responders; moving administration to SLED centralizes responsibility for operations, procurement and expansion decisions and removes a statutory procurement exemption that staff said would have altered current law.
Next steps: The proviso requires SLED to report on integration status by October 1 of the current fiscal year (the transcript reference states the date as October 1, 2026). The committee approved the amended proviso by voice vote and moved it to full Senate Finance.
