Commissioners press for cost details after Billings tower decommission proposal appears to shift costs to Daniels County

Daniels County commissioners reviewed a proposal the county received from the City of Billings regarding decommissioning a radio tower that Billings expects to remove. The draft language the county examined appeared to place responsibility for costs associated with decommissioning, removal, transport and potential damage on Daniels County; commissioners said the document lacked dollar figures and asked city contacts for clarification.

The board expressed concern that the draft agreement requires the county to pay broad, undefined costs including crane work, transport and any repairs to city property resulting from removal. A Billings representative who took a county call said the initial intention discussed previously had been more collaborative (shared costs or the city covering decommissioning) and that the county should receive a clearer cost breakdown. The Billings contact offered to discuss the language with his city counterpart and report back.

The tower discussion was linked to ongoing ambulance radio problems. A local ambulance representative reported antenna and cable faults on county rigs; a local technician planned follow‑up visits and smaller antenna replacements. Commissioners discussed alternate options including running fiber optic to the tower site as a redundant dispatch path and noted tradeoffs between installing a permanent tower and upgrading to fiber backups.

Why it matters: The arrangement, if accepted, would commit county funds to decommission and re‑erect a large radio tower, potentially costing tens of thousands of dollars; commissioners said they needed concrete cost estimates before agreeing to assume liability.

Details: County staff flagged specific clauses that read as requiring “payment of all costs and expenses associated with decommissioning and removal” and “reimbursement to the city of any damage to city property which may occur during decommissioning.” Commissioners said they had discussed earlier expectations that costs might be split; the draft they received did not include a cost breakdown. A Billings contact (identified in the call) said he would follow up and that some of the detailed figures may be in separately maintained documents.

Next steps: County staff and the board asked Billings and their local contact (Brian) to provide an explicit cost estimate and a breakdown of responsibilities before the county will commit to decommissioning or transport. Meanwhile, staff will pursue local fixes for ambulance radios and investigate fiber‑optic backup options for dispatch redundancy.