MONROE — The Green County Board of Supervisors could consider purchasing new digital radios for county emergency and maintenance vehicles with a price tag of up to $7.4 million in August.
Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud told the board at the meeting on July 9 that the timing of the purchase of a new digital radio system for the county was important, as the county has a bond it can reissue to pay for the purchase this year.
Supervisor Dennis Everson said refinancing the bond this year could lead to $350,000 in savings for the radio purchase or another needed county capital project.
“We know this is a significant ‘ask,’” Skatrud said, explaining that purchasing new digital radios for the county this year would replace a VHF analog system that dates back to 2004.
Skatrud said Dane, Rock and Stephenson counties already have digital radio systems. The Green County cities of Monroe, Brodhead and New Glarus also have digital radio technology.
Skatrud said the $7.4 million proposal for replacing the county’s radio system includes the centralized hardware, upgrading towers, renting additional towers and includes new digital radios in all of the emergency and maintenance vehicles for all municipalities in the county. There are more than 400 such radios in vehicles like fire trucks, highway department trucks, ambulances and law enforcement vehicles. There are also numerous hand-held radios that would be replaced.
Skatrud told the board about a second plan costing $5.1 million that would upgrade only the centralized hardware, towers and put digital radios in county vehicles. This second plan would require smaller municipalities to pay for upgrading their radios through their own budgets.
The radio upgrade proposal has been ongoing for two years. Skatrud said he would be busy talking to the county’s finance committee, radio committee and continuing more investigation in the next month so the issue could be considered in August.
This past week he met with fire chiefs in the county. At the meeting on Tuesday, there were some unknown factors, such as how switching Green County’s radio system to digital would impact its communication with Lafayette County municipalities.
Skatrud said the “timing is a little out of whack” as the timing necessary for refinancing the bond forces the decision on upgrading the radios. He said the county board meeting was the first time public officials outside of the radio committee have seen the financial proposal. When talking about the total project cost, Skatrud reminded the board that in December, the estimate to purchase a new digital radio system for the county was about $11 million.
The purchase and implementation of a new radio system would take about 20 months, Skatrud said. The useful expectancy of the technology is about 10 or more years, and then it’s likely that digital radios will be replaced by another, more-advanced platform.
Supervisor Erica Roth inquired about the enhanced performance of a digital system vs. the current VHF analog system. She asked Skatrud if the digital system would improve communication in “low areas” near Albany.
Skatrud said a combination of the new technology along with adjustments to antenna heights for the radios will solve some existing communication problems experienced with analog radios.
The radio purchase will have to be recommended to the county board from one or more county committees before it would appear on the county board agenda for August.
Additional issues stemming from the board meeting included:
● The resignation of District 1 Supervisor Dennis Everson, who is moving out of his district. Everson served the board for 15 years including a stint as board chairman. Everson was thanked by the board with a certificate for his years of service.
“I want to thank everyone for their cooperation and hard work,” Everson said. “It’s not easy to handle the needs of the county. You spend dollars the best way you can for the citizens.”
Board Chair Arthur Carter appointed Linda Boll to complete Everson’s remaining term as the District 1 representative.
● The election of Supervisor Jerry Guth as the vice chairman of the board and the election of Supervisor Harvey Mandel as the second vice chairman of the board.
● The introduction of Dan Williams, the county’s newly-hired Director of Human Services. Williams comes to Green County from a human services position in Jackson County.