Radio lease approved

It’s time to strengthen the signal.

Jay County Council agreed Wednesday to a $4.64 million lease agreement with Motorola for new radio equipment for emergency responders and other agencies across the county.

Those slated to receive equipment include Jay County Sheriff’s Office, Jay Emergency Medical Service, Jay County Emergency Management Agency, Jay County Health Department, Jay County Highway Department, Portland fire and police departments, Dunkirk fire and police departments, Pennville fire and police departments, Redkey fire and police departments, Salamonia Fire Department, Bryant Fire Department and IU Health Jay. (Hospital security and emergency room staff have been added to the project per Wednesday’s presentation.)

The 10-year lease, which comes at a 3.72% interest rate, allows the county to pay off the lease early with no penalties. It also allows the county to delay its first payment until February 2027. It doesn’t include system upgrades and maintenance costs for the next 15 years, which are estimated at just shy of $1.6 million total. Warranty costs between years two and five for subscriber units have not been determined.

Ritter Strategic Services co-founder Barry Ritter shared figures Wednesday with council, noting at least one department has changed the amount of radios it will need and leading to price changes. (Updated numbers were shared with The Commercial Review on Thursday morning. Ritter clarified in an email that Jay County’s subscriber unit inventory first developed in 2024 has been updated and changed throughout the course of the project.) Motorola also presented new lease terms Wednesday, having previously offered five-, seven-, 10- and 15-year lease options.

Estimated costs for each department are as listed below:

Prash Ramani of Motorola laid out the timeline for the project, anticipating radios will be delivered within two to six weeks. He expects the tower to be constructed before summer 2026.

Ritter Strategic Services facilitated a radio study on Jay County's equipment in 2024. It showed the majority of their coverage is available only if users take their radios outdoors to use them, with significant coverage gaps in the northeast and south areas of the county. Ritter suggested joining the Integrated Public Safety Commission radio system and upgrading the county’s equipment. The company also facilitated the request for proposals process for the project over the last few months.

Ritter reminded council that how Jay County officials negotiate agreements with the county’s municipalities and hospital has no bearing on its obligation to Motorola. He also noted the county's deadline to lock in costs for the proposal is Sept. 18, with Motorola’s prices to go up if no action is taken.

Council member Bryan Alexander expressed disappointment with Ritter in his work on the project, saying there are still costs attached to the project that the county doesn’t know. He also criticized Motorola’s Sept. 18 deadline, suggesting it gives a “false sense of urgency” to the request.

Alexander also questioned how the county will pay for the project. He expressed concern that other agencies haven’t been approached or asked for financial matches in the project. (Ritter later noted his contract didn’t include requiring him to negotiate payments with other agencies on the county’s behalf.)

Portland Fire Chief Mike Weitzel explained local emergency response stakeholders have been discussing the project since 2021. Pointing to costs, he noted some departments are working on extremely tight budgets and likely wouldn’t be able to afford the upgrades. Nonetheless, he said, they need to have access to the system. Council member Cindy Bracy argued emergency response such as fire departments are in the purview of the county’s responsibility. Council member Michael Brewster also indicated he thought council had planned to take on some of the costs for departments that may not be able to pay for the upgrades.

Council member Harold Towell shared concerns about the proposed new system offering only 95% coverage across the county, a requirement Ritter said earlier in the meeting is a realistic standard across the industry.

Sheriff Ray Newton said he’s comfortable with the 95% coverage as compared to the poor connection the county currently experiences on a daily basis.

“There’s places we can’t even get out, that’s how bad it is, Harold,” he said. “You know, to prolong this, something bad’s going to happen, and our radio system goes down and, what, we’re going to wait another month?”

Newton reminded council members he was a council member himself when discussion about upgrading radios first started years ago.

“This is something that we desperately need,” he said. “I’ve got to protect my officers. I’ve got to protect public safety. If they can’t hear us, we’re in trouble.”

Amid discussion about overall cost, county auditor Emily Franks noted a few different potential funding options, including a portion out of the county’s infrastructure fund, economic development income tax (EDIT) dollars or money coming in future years from wind farms and solar farms through economic development agreements.

Council approved the 10-year lease agreement, with Matt Minnich, Faron Parr, Michael Brewster, Alexander and Bracy voting in favor. Towell and Randy May voted against.

In other news, council members:

•Had a request to transfer $33,570 between infrastructure funds in the commissioners’ budget die for a lack of a motion. The transfer was intended to pay a claim from MSS Engineering for a portion of the cost to draw plans for constructing a public safety building. Tentative plans were to place the structure on the county’s 68 acres along Indiana 67 in Portland. Commissioners agreed on a 2-1 vote in August to move forward with a proposal from the company, with commissioner Duane Monroe dissenting.

•Heard from Waggoner, Irwin, Scheele and Associates regarding its salary analysis report. A representative shared various suggestions for adjusting job classifications and their respective wages.

•Made the following additional appropriations: $177,000 for tuckpointing, sealant and other brick repairs for Jay County Courthouse, $37,000 in the Jay County Surveyor’s Office fund for repairing the department’s old excavator and purchasing a new excavator, $26,000 for Jay County Jail information technology upgrades, $15,000 for replacing road signs and $8,800 (Towell opposed) for professional services from Ritter Strategic Services.