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Miami County weighs five-year Motorola service agreement; coordinator says approach saves about $100,000 a year
Summary
Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Whalen told commissioners a proposed five-year Motorola contract would cost about $240,135.32 in year one and total $1,285,945.91 over the term; by retaining several maintenance tasks in-house the county expects roughly $100,000 in annual savings.
Mark Whalen, Miami County Emergency Management Coordinator, outlined a proposed five-year service agreement with Motorola for the county radio system and said negotiations began about six months ago. Whalen told commissioners the new plan would return a lower annual price than the county currently pays and would add console software updates to Motorola’s responsibilities while leaving HVAC, generators, UPS, vegetation control and other site maintenance to county staff.
"By taking responsibility for these services, that cut about a $150,000 off the Motorola contract," Whalen said, later summarizing that the county would spend roughly $50,000 a year on the in‑house work and net “about $100,000 each year" in savings. He gave a year‑one price estimate of $240,135.32 under the vendor’s essential-plus service plan with a System Upgrade Agreement and projected a 3.4% annual inflation factor. Whalen said an annual cost in 2031 would be about $274,926.70 and the grand total over the five-year contract would be $1,285,945.91.
Commissioners asked for arithmetic clarifications after an apparent spreadsheet error. One commissioner noted a year‑four line was undercounted; Whalen confirmed a typo and provided the corrected year‑four figure of $265,711.38. Whalen also warned that a statewide, vendor‑required infrastructure replacement expected in 2031–2032 could cost about $8,000,000 for six tower sites and the county IT room, and that talks with the state on cost-sharing had not yet gained traction.
There was also a discussion of what the agreement covers: the six tower sites, dispatch and IT‑room equipment and some tower hardware. Whalen said handheld radios are not included in the contract; he described relying on in‑house repairs and occasional private vendors when Motorola parts are unavailable. The session concluded with the Chair noting the item will remain on the agenda for further action in the afternoon.
