Story County selects Tri-City Electric for EOC AV upgrade, approves soft costs and contingency

The Story County Emergency Management Commission voted 10–3 March 5 to select Tri-City Electric to install a new audio-visual (AV) system in the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and the Board of Supervisors approved $4,000 in soft costs plus a 10% contingency of $10,853 on a 12–1 roll call.

The decision covers a vendor quote of $104,530 for equipment and installation; combined with estimated soft costs and contingency, the AV work totals $119,383. County staff said the construction costs for remodeling the EOC are budgeted separately in the county’s Capital Improvement Plan and were estimated at about $150,000 plus a 10% contingency, meaning the total project package would be roughly $260,000 if both are completed as presented.

Melissa Spencer of Story County Emergency Management (SCEMA) told the Commission that the EOC serves as a centralized coordination point to support incident commanders and jurisdictional executives during large or multi-jurisdiction incidents. Spencer reviewed recent activations, including the August 2020 derecho, COVID-19 response, and a May 2020 tornado, and cited a May 2023 exercise with the City of Ames that demonstrated the need for a staffed, interoperable EOC. "The purpose of the EOC is to have a centralized communication and coordination point with jurisdictional executives," Spencer said. She also said the Commission was not seeking additional taxpayer dollars for the equipment purchase because funding was already in the Commission reserves.

Two firms submitted final bids after an RFP walk-through: Tri-City Electric (Des Moines area) at $104,530 and Communication Innovators at $132,255.88. A review committee (Spencer, Facilities Management’s Joby Brogden and IT Director Colin Gerst) ranked Tri-City higher based on equipment and responsiveness. Chief Rich Higgins of Ames Fire noted that comparable projects in the region (Iowa State University and City of Ames sites) had similar costs.

During debate, some members raised concerns about investing in fixed basement infrastructure rather than remote or overhead solutions. "We can run businesses from a phone today," said Jon Popp (Gilbert), arguing for more flexible, less site-dependent options. Facilities Manager Joby Brogden responded that floor-based raceways make the room modular and consistent with other modern county facilities; he said floor wiring prevents ceiling constraints and allows furniture and configurations to change without rewiring.

Commissioner Kurtis Bower sought clarity on reserve levels and whether the county supplemental levy had been increased; Chair Linda Murken said the funding in question had been moved from the designated reserve into the FY26 capital line and that remaining reserve balances would be discussed at the April Commission meeting. Spencer said the proposed AV purchase would leave approximately $208,825 in Commission reserves pending the April review.

On the vendor selection motion (moved by Taylor Christensen, seconded by Jackie Sapp), the voice vote was 10 in favor and 3 opposed (Bobby Chubbic of Cambridge, Jon Popp of Gilbert, and Kurtis Bower of Roland), and the motion passed to select Tri-City Electric. The separate amended motion to approve $4,000 in soft costs and a $10,853 contingency passed on a roll-call vote of 12 ayes and 1 nay (Bower).

The Board and Commission noted that the remodeling construction cost is covered in the county CIP and will be discussed as that scope moves forward. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn at 7:49 PM.

Next steps: staff will coordinate contract details with Tri-City Electric and bring remaining reserve-use questions back to the Commission at its April meeting.