Plan OK’d for radios

The county will be getting a new radio system.

Jay County Commissioners and Jay County Council agreed Wednesday to move forward with a $6.7 million proposal from Motorola Solutions to shift to the statewide public safety system, install a new radio tower and provide other radio equipment county wide.

Jay County Commissioners agreed to start contract negotiations with Motorola on July 30. Ritter Strategic Services facilitated a radio study on Jay County’s equipment in 2024, suggesting the county join the Integrated Public Safety Commission's radio system and upgrade its equipment. The company also facilitated the request for proposals process over the last few months.

“What I can say to those of you that have not been following this or (are) not aware is that your communication systems, on the law enforcement side especially, is at a critical state,” explained Ritter Strategic Services co-founder Barry Ritter.

The proposal shared Wednesday includes installation of a new radio tower at Jay County Sheriff’s Office in Portland, approximately 161 portable radios and 178 mobile (in-car) radios, pagers, five-year warranties on portable and mobile radios and 15 years of maintenance, among other items.

Proposed upgrades should give Jay County emergency responders 95% radio coverage across the county, according to a Motorola area sales representative. 

Currently, the county is utilizing the former Indiana State Police Post tower in Redkey for radio signals. An additional tower in Portland should help to significantly boost service, the representative noted. 

The portable radios are equipped with Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Once they are delivered, the representative said users should immediately notice a difference from current coverage, even prior to the Portland tower’s construction.

Ritter noted the proposal covers the cost of equipment needed for Jay County fire departments, utility departments, emergency medical service bases, Jay County Emergency Management Agency, Jay County Health Department, Jay County Highway Department and Jay County law enforcement. Staying on outdated systems, he added, will not be an option for departments.

The next decision county officials need to tackle with municipalities is whether the county will foot the entire bill for new equipment or if other departments will pay a portion of the cost.

Council member Michael Brewster, who is also a police officer for the City of Portland, said he doesn’t believe the county should pay for the entire project, although he recognized some municipalities may not be able to afford upgrades. Council member Cindy Bracy agreed, saying that Salamonia Fire Department cannot afford it.

Council member Bryan Alexander questioned whether costs have been shared with Jay municipalities. (He noted communities are beginning the budgeting process for 2026.)

Costs have not been shared with departments yet, Ritter said. Cost estimates are being developed for each agency, he explained, and those figures should be complete within the next week.

Brewster pointed out Ritter Strategic Service’s request for council and commissioners Wednesday was to make a decision on whether to move forward with final negotiations with Motorola, not to determine specific financial amounts.

“I’ve talked to several department heads, and as a city policeman, I understand this has been needed for years,” said Brewster. “It’s been needed as far (back) as I can remember.”

Commissioners Doug Horn, Chad Aker and Duane Monroe and council members Matt Minnich, Faron Parr, and Alexander, Bracy and Brewster agreed to move forward with the project. Council members Harold Towell and Randy May voted in opposition.