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County and vendors seek clarity after Border Patrol, Interoperability Montana legacy leave tower ownership unclear
Summary
Vendors and county staff reported confusion over ownership of multiple radio towers and buildings; participants said Border Patrol may own the guide‑wired tower and building, while the county holds the freestanding Radio Hill tower and Flaxville site—Redtail offered to document equipment and ownership to reduce future confusion.
Vendor and county staff told commissioners that historical changes in the Interoperability Montana program left questions about who owns certain towers and site buildings.
"We just recently found out that Border Patrol owns that tall tower," a Redtail representative said, noting earlier assumptions that the freestanding self‑supporting tower belonged to the state. County staff reported that when Interoperability Montana ran out of funds the equipment was turned over to counties, leaving a mixed ownership record dating to about 2014.
Participants agreed the next step is documentation: Redtail offered to photograph and inventory what equipment sits in buildings and on towers and to provide that record to the county. The county attorney asked to receive the vendor’s documentation and email strings to support any negotiations with Border Patrol about access or improvements to the site.
