Sawyer County board votes to move forward on plan for new public-safety radio network after Gencomm, Bugtussle briefings

The Sawyer County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with planning for a new public-safety radio network following technical and financing briefings from General Communications (Gencomm) and Bugtussle.

Gencomm engineer Gary Pelletier summarized the county's current VHF system and said mobile coverage is generally adequate but portable (handheld) and indoor coverage is poor in many areas — a safety concern for deputies and first responders. Pelletier told the board a proposed digital, multi-site simulcast system with six to seven sites and a fiber or microwave backbone would substantially improve portable and indoor coverage. He estimated the radio-system backbone at just under $1,000,000 and warned that additional costs for towers and shelters could be substantial.

Bugtussle chief development officer Mitch Olson described a bond-backed deployment model his company has used in other Wisconsin counties. Olson said the program under discussion would use participating counties' borrowing capacity to raise about $16,000,000 for the Sawyer County allocation, build roughly 114.7 miles of middle-mile fiber, construct several tower sites and deploy fixed wireless last-mile service. Bugtussle would provide the county with colocation space on towers, 24 strands of dark fiber for the life of the project and a cash payment to Sawyer County that Olson estimated at about $1.2 million spread over 30 years. Olson said the arrangement would include UCC filings and mortgages on assets and that counties would be exposed as guarantors if the issuing entity defaulted.

County Administrator Andy Alvarado and staff framed the issue as a public-safety priority and described three broad options: (1) upgrade and site a county-owned radio system; (2) lease or build towers and site equipment; or (3) partner with a private provider under a borrowing-capacity mechanism like Bugtussle's. Alvarado said the county's preference on financing will affect levy and debt-service outcomes and that staff would provide more refined cost modeling before any financing commitment.

Board members asked detailed questions about timeline, grants and vendor performance. Pelletier said a full system typically targets about 95% county coverage for mobile and much improved portable coverage; tower construction often takes several months and full project completion could take 12–18 months. Olson said the bond program contemplates a 30‑year term with the first three years capitalized and a typical construction window of 12–18 months; he added that the county would have access to tower and fiber assets for 30 years under the proposed deal.

Supervisors discussed federal grant options, including state WISCOM upgrades and the federal BEAD program, but staff warned that those programs either fund radios (not infrastructure) or may have timing constraints. Alvarado said some grant funding could offset portable-radio purchases but not the core infrastructure.

Supervisor Stacy Hessel moved, and the board seconded, a motion “to move forward with a plan to build a new public-safety radio network.” The motion, as clarified at the meeting, commits the board to pursuing a new network to address safety gaps but does not lock in a vendor or financing mechanism. The board approved the motion by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will continue negotiations and financial analysis, coordinate follow-up meetings with Gencomm and Bugtussle, and — if needed to meet vendor timelines — call a special meeting before the Sept. 10 vendor deadline to make a binding selection or financing decision.