April 11, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
The Smithville-DeKalb County Rescue Squad is asking the county to spend over $122,000 to replace with used models all the agency’s portable, and mobile radios, and at least four repeaters.
Rescue Squad Captain Dustin Johnson addressed the county commission’s budget committee Tuesday night with the request. According to Johnson, the cost of new radios is more than $400,000 but he can make do with used radios which are cheaper.
“We are not asking for any more money in our budget,” said Captain Johnson. “We just want you to think about our radios. To replace all our radios is something like $400,000 but I have talked to Brad (Mullinax-911 Director) and I have come up with a plan. Starting to come on the market are used radios and I think for $122,870 we can replace all of them and have four repeaters in our vehicles. I couldn’t just go buy them tomorrow, but they are coming online, and Brad said he could buy them when he finds them online. If you (county) have any extra money, think about that so we could get our radios. I hate to go used but sometimes you have to do that,” said Captain Johnson.
If the county can’t fund the total amount of $122,870 in the new budget for the total purchase, Johnson said he would like to see at least some seed money be allocated.
Under an arrangement approved by the county commission earlier this year, a one- time expenditure of $1.3 million is to be made in a joint venture between the county and the 911 board to replace radios for the sheriff’s department and ambulance service through Motorola Solutions, except for the EMS mobile radios the state is going to fund. The Motorola radios are to be under warranty for seven years. The county and 911 are to share the cost with the county contributing $600,000 and 911 to put in $700,000. The purchase of mobile radios for the county’s fire trucks, which can be bought for half price, is also included in this package. Radios for the rescue squad were not included in that deal.
The budget committee has taken no action yet on Johnson’s request.
Meanwhile, County Commissioner Greg Matthews wants each member of the commission and county mayor to have tablet computers instead of having to work off paper documents, especially around budget preparation time and he addressed the budget committee with his request Tuesday night.
“I am requesting for us to switch over to tablets and do away with all this paper, ink getting wasted, and time spent for thousands of sheets of paper getting copied and printed every year. It will cut back on a lot of waste and a lot of money in the long run. I don’t know what it would cost yet because there are different prices. There are 14 of us (commissioners) plus the mayor and whoever so we would probably need around 20 tablets. I would like to ask for $5,000 to be put back for the equipment and what doesn’t get spent can be returned,” said Commissioner Matthews.