It took several tries with at least four different plans to find an option the DeKalb County Commission was comfortable with in regards to replacing the outdated E-911 radio system, but the commission voted to approve the latest plan at their regular monthly meeting last Monday evening. The plan totals $1.2 million to replace 911 equipment on Short Mountain, and provide radios for local law enforcement and EMS, but not for local fire and rescue departments.

E-911 Director Brad Mullinax addressed the board, putting forth yet another plan to replace the antiquated radio system now in use.

An earlier proposal had been voted on and approved by the 911 Board, but some county officials felt it would be hard to secure funding. During an emergency session on January 19, the 911 Board voted on a proposal to partner with the county in funding the purchase of a new $2.3 million radio communication system for emergency services under a 10-year lease between 911 and Motorola Solutions. 911 would lease the equipment from Motorola on behalf of the county and make a $300,000 down payment. The 911 Board would also make an annual payment of $300,000 in the year 2025 and 2026 for a total investment of $900,000 on the $2.3 million deal. The county would have been responsible for making the remaining $260,000 annual payments starting in the year 2027.

While that plan would have been ideal, county officials believed it would not financially feasible at this time, especially while the county is grappling with a new proposed justice center.

“While it would be ideal to replace all the emergency radios in every department, the county is not in a position to financially do so at this time,” Mullinax told the commission at their Monday meeting. He then outlined another alternative plan.

Under this agreement, all mobiles, vehicle repeaters, and portable radios for law enforcement and EMS would be replaced, while radios for fire and rescue would use their current radios. The State of Tennessee is already providing the mobile radios for all ambulances at no charge, but the county would need to provide the repeaters and portables to EMS employees.

Mullinax said that he believes there is a very good chance that the DeKalb County Fire Department would be eligible for a AFG grant to help pay for its radios. However, there is no guarantee that the department will get the grant. The county would need to implement a plan to eventually replace radios for fire and rescue personnel.

With this deal, Motorola would not provide new consoles for the E-911 center, meaning 911 would have to purchase their own at around $300,000. With that, Mullinax said the 911 Board would most likely still be willing to contribute the remaining $600,000 it had agreed on in the previous deal.

Another advantage in this deal would be that two repeaters currently used for EMS and law enforcement could be disconnected and stored as spares for the fire and rescue system should there be an outage. This would give the county more time to apply for grants or secure other funding to replace those radios.

“Law enforcement and EMS use the system the most,” Mullinax told the commission. “This is a good solution that is viable and that we can add onto later on.”

County Mayor Matt Adcock reported that currently that county has $225,647.98 of Federal American Rescue Plan travel money and $71,933.52 of unrestricted opioid settlement money for a total of $297,580.50 that could be used for the project. That would leave the county with $302,418.50 of tax dollars from the general fund to pay for the project as a one-time payment.

In the end, the county commission voted to approve the proposal, contingent on the E-911 Board approval and their contribution of the $600,000.

Towards the end of the meeting, all the controversy over funding seemed too much for one commissioner, with 6th District’s Justin Adcock announcing that he wished to resign his seat immediately. The resignation was voted on and approved by the commission.

After the meeting, Adcock stated that the resignation was due to his private business and family obligations.

The commission will now need to appoint someone from the 6th district to fill the vacancy.