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Committee weighs vendor 'Bug Tussle' vs. building county radio towers for public-safety network
Summary
Sawyer County's public safety committee reviewed two radio-network options: partner with a vendor dubbed "Bug Tussle" (vendor estimate ~$1.5M'$1.75M) or build county towers (estimate ~$2.4M'$2.75M). The committee pressed for more due diligence before committing and noted a Sept. 10 vendor deadline.
The Sawyer County Public Safety Committee heard a detailed update on options for the county's public-safety radio network, including a possible partnership with an outside vendor referred to in the meeting as "Bug Tussle" and a county-built alternative.
Andy, the county's communication systems specialist, told the committee the two paths under discussion are: (1) build at least two county-owned towers, with a Genom-derived estimate of roughly $2.4 million (rounded for budgeting to about $2.75 million including contingency); or (2) partner with the vendor that would build a fiber ring and tower network, which the vendor estimated at about $1.5 million to $1.75 million when contingencies are included.
The vendor-led option includes intergovernmental commitments from multiple counties; Andy said several counties have passed initial resolutions and that nine counties are actively engaged in due diligence. He described receiving a large set of vendor documents—"15 documents that we have to review"—and said county counsel and financial advisors (PMA) are performing stress tests on the company. "If you had to put me on the spot and say should we do Bug Tussle today I would say no," Andy said, noting more financial and contractual clarity is needed.
Committee members focused on coverage and countywide reach. Andy reported technical checks on an existing WJB tower and proposed Mosaic Tower leases; he said new coverage maps based on equipment placement (250 feet down the WJB tower) are pending. Southern Sawyer County coverage was flagged as a requirement: the committee told the vendor any plan that did not extend service to the county's southern corner would be unacceptable.
The timeline for decisions is compressed: Andy said the vendor is requesting final commitments by Sept. 10, and the committee discussed scheduling presentations for the full county board and a potential special meeting before that deadline so all 15 board members would hear the system proposal. Andy also described two fallback approaches—either negotiate site adjustments with the vendor to achieve full county coverage or proceed with building county-owned towers with budgeted leases and construction.
Why it matters: the choice affects county emergency communications for law enforcement, EMS and fire departments, the county's borrowing exposure if it participates in vendor financing, and the timeline for NextGen 911 integration.
Next steps: the committee will continue due diligence with county counsel and PMA, attend a vendor-county attorneys meeting scheduled the afternoon of the update, and consider presentations to the full county board so a decision can be made before the vendor's Sept. 10 deadline.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 388; topfinish SEG 604
