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Solano supervisors approve licensing deals and accept federal funds to expand countywide public‑safety radio; staff estimates $10M for phase two
Summary
County staff told supervisors the South County P25 radio expansion will put Vallejo and Benicia on the county system, accepted federal community‑project funding and recommended later contracts for a countywide phase-two build estimated at roughly $10 million; staff said subscriber radios and console replacements will require ongoing capital planning.
Solano County staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on April 7 about a multi‑phase expansion of the county’s P25 public-safety radio system and asked the board to approve licensing agreements with Vallejo and Benicia and accept federal community‑project funding to help pay for the work.
County staff said Vallejo and Benicia will be moved from a regional vendor arrangement to the county’s P25 core as part of a South County build that is expected to go live this summer. "Vallejo and Benicia and the sheriff will all be on the same radio system," a county radio manager told the board, saying shared talk groups and true interoperability will replace the current workarounds.
Staff estimated a phase-two buildout to extend county P25 coverage into Dixon, Rio Vista and large portions of the unincorporated county would require about $10 million for infrastructure (towers, shelters, engineering). "For a total cost of roughly $10 million as our current estimate," a county finance lead said, adding staff will return with a detailed Motorola contract and options for purchase versus lease-to-own financing.
The presentation also described life-cycle replacement costs for subscriber radios (about 4,000 countywide, with roughly 1,500 designated for Solano County units) and dispatch consoles that would come due in the next decade; staff said those replacement schedules require long-term budget smoothing. Officials noted the project already received an earlier state earmark and that a federal earmark funded through the Department of Justice technology and equipment program was on the board’s consent agenda for acceptance.
Board members asked about costs, per‑radio licensing and whether cities would pay amounts comparable to current vendor fees. Staff said the Vallejo and Benicia licensing agreements use a five‑year fixed-fee formula similar to the cities’ existing contract rates and that the county will work toward a single master agreement across jurisdictions by the early 2030s.
The board approved the item to accept the federal award and authorize county staff to finalize licensing agreements and future contract actions. Staff said they will return this summer with the phase‑two Motorola contract and a proposed regional governance and total cost‑of‑ownership plan to allocate operating and replacement costs across cities and the county.
