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City warns Motorola will stop support for current 911 system in 2030; staff cite up to $17 million estimate for replacement
Summary
Chief McTaggart told the Des Moines City Council that vendor support for the city's current dispatch equipment ends Jan. 1, 2030; staff said a high-end replacement estimate is roughly $17 million and presented options to co-locate or partner with regional dispatch centers.
Chief McTaggart told the Des Moines City Council that Motorola has informed the city it will cease support and updates for the current dispatch equipment on Jan. 1, 2030, and that the city must plan to replace the system before vendor support ends.
"They have informed us that January 1st of 2030 they will no longer update, fix, do anything with our current equipment," Chief McTaggart said. He described dispatch centers as having a 10—year lifespan and said the city's dispatch installation (from 2018) is nearing that lifecycle.
Staff said the replacement project is primarily software and equipment and cannot be installed piecemeal; the new system must be brought online at a single location and the old system decommissioned. Staff presented 1200 Locust as the likely site to house the new public-safety answering point (PSAP), but said partnering with Westcom or Polk County to co-locate or share equipment is also being explored.
On preliminary cost, McTaggart said staff were provided a high-end estimate "on the higher end" that he described as about $17 million; he added staff are negotiating with vendors and expect the figure could fall. He noted the project scope includes radio-tower upgrades and a separate renovation line item of roughly $4.3 million to adapt 1200 Locust for the PSAP. McTaggart and Manager Sanders said individual police and fire radios are procured separately and are not part of the immediate PSAP project scope.
Staff described resilience options (two operational centers or a cold site with equipment but not 24/7 staffing) and stressed that radio-tower upgrades would be required regardless of partner choices; staff also cited interoperability and governance as challenges for simultaneous regional procurement. When asked how many radio towers the city owns, staff said the city owns two towers and uses about 12 across the metro area and that some towers may be privately owned with leased equipment.
Manager Sanders and staff said discussions with regional partners are ongoing, that they plan to present options to council in the next few weeks to months, and that some components of the existing software may only carry the city 2—3 more years without replacement. Council members noted the city invested $30 million in the 1200 Locust building and asked that decisions weigh long-term facility use and upcoming budget pressures; staff said detailed CIP requests and options will return to council for consideration.
