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Supervisors approve $280,000 reallocation for radio simulcast and tower work to improve emergency communications
Summary
County emergency staff asked the board to reallocate $280,000 from a capital line to restore tower equipment, adopt simulcast technology and license an additional channel to address persistent radio black spots; the board approved the request by voice vote.
Scottie Castle (Speaker 18), the county's emergency-management official, told the board the county has struggled with radio coverage gaps after recent changes and proposed returning equipment to a perimeter tower, moving to a simulcast system, and licensing a second channel to improve reliability. Castle estimated the upgrade and repeaters would total about $280,000 and asked the board to reappropriate capital-improvement funds originally earmarked for a new ambulance.
"We realized we made a mistake... we created a big old black hole right in the Building County," Castle said, describing the coverage loss after some tower and equipment moves. He said simulcast will let towers "talk to each other instead of us humans trying to figure out which one we need." Board members discussed leveraging existing cell towers and the county's tall-structure ordinance; the board voted to approve the reallocation and proceed with simulcast planning.
