Laserfiche WebLink
<br />~ <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br />EN HILLS <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />March 31, 2008 <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />Jim Willis, Interim City Administrator <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />Greg Hoag, Public Warks Director <br />Sue Iverson, Finance Director <br /> <br />SUBJECT: <br /> <br />Purchase of800 MHz Portable Radios for Arden Hills Emergency <br />Management <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />In 2004 all public safety agencies in Ramsey County began the process of converting to the 800 <br />MHz Statewide radio system. When the 800 MHz project began in 2004 each municipal <br />jurisdiction was asked the number of radios they would need far all oftheir public safety needs. <br />Arden Hills identified a total of76 radios. To date the Lake Johanna Fire Department has <br />purchased 21 of these radios for their use and the use of the North Suburban Hazardous Materials <br />team, and the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department has purchased 9 radios. Ramsey County <br />submitted for a Federal Homeland Security Grant to off set the costs of the equipment and radios <br />needed for the County wide project. The County received this grant and has used it as a <br />$1,092.00 deduction in the cost of each radio purchased. The County is also crediting each radio <br />purchase with a $903.00 County subsidy for a total credit of$I,995.00 for each of the radios <br />purchased. <br /> <br />As part of the 2008-2012 Capital Improvement Plan the purchase of 800 MHz portable radios for <br />the years 2008 and 2009 were planned and budgeted for $4,000.00 in each year. In late 2006, all <br />public safety agencies in Ramsey County switched to the 800 MHz band from the existing VHF <br />band. When this switch took place, Arden Hills did not purchase any radios for use by the City's <br />Emergency Management staff in the event of a large scale disaster. If a disaster were to happen <br />we would be unable to communicate with any other public agencies in the County. When Staff <br />originally talked with the City Council about this item during the 2008 budget Work Sessions, <br />the radios we were proposing would have cost about $4,000.00 each. The Council asked if we <br />could purchase the four radios over a two year period to help defray the cost impacts to the <br />budget. Staff has now learned that there is a newer model radio available that will meet the <br />