The quorum court turned its attention to the county’s radio system, and found more questions than answers.
At Monday night’s meeting, justices of the peace heard from Sam Ward, who works directly for County Judge Sam Barr. Ward had discussed a major communications upgrade at the Jan. 28 meeting. At that time, JPs expressed concerns about the cost of the project, and they also asked about the benefits to the county.
Ward described a plan to build seven towers to serve the county. That plan would still leave some holes in coverage, but the terrain in some areas creates problems with radio signals. Radios operating at 800 megahertz will work better, Ward said, and he warned that a mandate would soon require all agencies to change over to the new technology.
Erecting the towers would cost about $6,000,000, and Ward said the county could spread that cost over 10 years. That price would include new radios for deputies, but others using the system would also have to upgrade their radios. That would include police, fire, and ambulance services.
Although JPs balked at the cost, Ward said the county’s existing equipment will develop increasing problems, and replacement parts are no longer available for some equipment. In describing the aging equipment the county currently uses, Ward said, “We don’t see the police driving around in 15-year-old cars that have never been serviced.”
Ward mentioned a situation the previous week, when radio frequency interference left police and deputies unable to contact dispatchers. “It’s only going to get worse,” Ward said. “The VHF spectrum is flooded.”
JPs heard that grants would probably not help with these costs, because everyone else has the same problem. Ward could only guess when the county would face a deadline for conversion, but suggested a period of two years. JP Craig Hicks suggested involving the police chiefs and mayors before proceeding with a decision.