Photo courtesy of Botetourt Co.
By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a FY 23-24 budget amendment last Tuesday afternoon for the purchase contract of Motorola Solutions Inc. totaling $17,958,322.66 for the installation of the county’s new Public Radio System during a public hearing. The request was in conjunction with the approved purchase contract between Botetourt County and Motorola Solutions for the new system ,which occurred at the August 22 meeting.
The board also approved the transfer of funds ($9,480,276.48) from the county Undesignated Fund Balance (“Fund 100”) to the Capital Projects Fund (“Fund 302”) and approved a budget amendment in the amount of $10,080,276.48 to the Capital Projects Fund (“Fund 302” – radio system replacement expenditures #302-5002035).
Emergency Communications Systems Manager Matt Hinkle presented the finalized contract to the board for approval. Earlier this year, the county awarded Motorola Solutions Inc. as the vendor for the new public radio system, which will modernize Botetourt’s radio system bringing up to date with the rest of the Roanoke Valley.
The county has used the same radio system for the last 25 years. Hinkle had previously shared with the board at the August meeting that the county radio system was “on an island.” The county’s new digital radio system will allow emergency staff to talk to everyone in the Roanoke Valley. A total of seven sites in Botetourt will expand system coverage. Hinkle noted the expanded system “should serve for an additional 15 years.”
Additionally, the dispatch center will be upgraded and the Fire & EMS Department will receive a new fire station alerting system which will cut down response times.
Amsterdam Supervisor Steve Clinton asked Hinkle about the system’s anticipated lifespan of 15 years. He wondered what the determining factors were considering the current system’s 25-year run in the county. Hinkle explained that “there are a lot components that are dependent on the manufacturer… There is an (technology) upgrade at Year 6—that type of technology refresh will keep us out of the issues we have in our current system. We didn’t really keep that up to date over the years… The thought is that, periodically, we’re going to spend money and, in that contract, there is already a technology refresh built in the first 10 years.”
According the county, a thorough review of the Public Safety Radio system proposals was conducted by the Emergency Communications Committee and the county’s third-party consultant Morcom Communications Inc. The Emergency Communications Committee consists of county employees from the emergency staff and Sheriff’s Office including Hinkle, Fire & EMS Chief Jason Ferguson, Emergency Manager Daniel Murray, Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Boone, Captain Scott Gathje, and Morcom Consultant Manual Ojeda.
At the August 22 meeting the Board of Supervisors approved the county staff recommendation to award the RFP to Motorola Solutions Inc. and to enter contract negotiations for the procurement and installation of the Public Safety Radio System.
County staff along with the county attorney have successfully concluded contract negotiations with Motorola Solution Inc to provide the new Public Safety Radio System. The final purchase price of the contract is $17,958,322.66 inclusive of three years of warranty for the system and the lifecycle management. This total is roughly $7 million less that the figure when the county began contract negotiations. The contract also includes guaranteed pricing on seven additional years of service at a cost of $1,785,961.07 which will be billed on an annual basis.
In an effort to save taxpayer dollars, the county will provide some inhouse maintenance which will save “roughly $1 million in the first 10 years” to upward of $3 million that will be saved.
County Finance Director Tony Zerilla noted that per a resolution passed by the Board of Supervisors on November 28, 2023, the county has declared the intent and reasonable expectation to reimburse itself for expenses related to this project as part of the permanent financing that will be in place at a later point in 2024.
