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County approves moving forward on $328,285 E911 repeater-tower upgrade using 911 funds
Summary
Grant County authorized using E911 funds to begin purchasing transferable infrastructure and move ahead with a repeater (simulcast) tower upgrade; state timing delays mean the full tower project likely cannot be completed until June 2027, but staff said some equipment can be installed earlier.
Grant County commissioners voted to proceed with a planned upgrade of the county's repeater and simulcast paging infrastructure, authorizing use of E911 funds for initial purchases and directing staff to return with updates as the project progresses.
Public-safety staff reported that vendor DSC (Motorola) advised the county that several repeater towers are obsolete and that equipment replacement is needed. The county learned the state's planned tower build near Hoffman will not start until June 2027; that timetable means full tower replacement must be coordinated regionally. Staff said, however, that certain infrastructure items (battery backups, point-to-point links and other ground-level equipment) can be purchased and placed in service in advance, and that DSC's quotes would be transferable to the new towers.
DSC provided budgetary quotes and estimated a 7% price increase by June 2027; county staff met with the budget-and-finance committee and the public-safety committee and reported the 911 fund balance is sufficient to support the purchases. The board approved moving forward with the repeater tower project using E911 funds and accepted staff's recommendation to begin buying transferable equipment; staff provided an overall estimated project cost of $328,285.24 and said they will bring periodic updates and timelines to the board.
Commissioners and staff discussed warranty timing, grant opportunities and the need to preserve funding for the future dispatch/console upgrade; staff said buying some components early would not void warranty coverage for items that are put into service immediately.
The motion to proceed was approved by voice vote; staff will present itemized purchase approvals and timelines in subsequent board updates.
