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Walla Walla County approves Starlink for deputy patrol vehicles after 2–1 vote amid funding concerns
Summary
The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners approved purchase and subscriptions for Starlink units to equip deputy patrol vehicles, voting 2–1 after debate over financing the $54,500–$77,200 upfront hardware cost and roughly $33,700 in annual subscription charges (before proposed fund splits). Supporters cited officer safety; opponents said a long‑term funding plan is needed.
The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners on April 20 approved a plan to buy Starlink satellite equipment and subscriptions for deputy patrol vehicles, passing the measure 2–1 after commissioners debated how to pay both upfront installation costs and recurring subscription fees.
Technology Services Director Chad Goodhew told the board the recommended deployment would assign Starlink units to deputies rather than vehicles to reduce equipment expense and make units portable between vehicles. He said that change cut about $7,000 from the earlier estimate and reduced the number of permanent installations, bringing the upfront installation estimate down from roughly $77,200 to about $54,500 after vehicle reductions. He also recorded an annual subscription figure of about $33,698.81 before applying proposed cost‑sharing.
“By assigning these to a deputy rather than permanently wiring every vehicle, we shaved off roughly $7,000 and made the program much more affordable,” Chad Goodhew said.
Supporters framed the purchase as an operational and safety necessity. One commissioner said deputies have been “handcuffed” without reliable in‑field connectivity and argued the county should invest to ensure officers can access dispatch and critical data. Chief Deputy Schramm and other sheriff’s office staff described the operational benefits and confirmed shop staff had reviewed installation impacts and found no resale‑value damage to vehicles.
Opponents said the county’s current‑expense and Law & Justice funding lines are tight. One commissioner said the recurring subscription and first‑year installation charge should not proceed without clearer budget assurances; that commissioner expressed support for the idea but withheld a yes vote until a firm funding plan is identified.
County staff proposed splitting recurring subscription costs, with 50% covered by the Law & Justice fund and the remainder allocated through the Technology Services/IT fund. Commissioners and staff said technology savings (including a planned countywide shift to T‑Mobile) and other tech‑services savings had been identified and could help absorb initial costs. Staff also said the recurring annual subscription would be revisited during the 2027 budget process.
A motion to approve the Technology Services Department proposal was made and seconded; the board recorded the motion as passed, 2–1.
Next steps: staff will finalize procurement and installation logistics and account for the ongoing subscription costs in the 2027 budget process.
