(Atlantic) The Atlantic City Council voted across the board to support the Cass County Board of Supervisors Investment in the Public Safety and First Responders Communication Infrastructure (tower) and Equipment. The resolution does not bind the City Council to pay for the building or any of the equipment.
Atlantic Police Lt. Devin Hogue appearing in front of the Atlantic City Council, explained that in 2016, the Iowa Statewide Interoperability Communications System project swung into action with Motorola Solutions to provide 95-percent mobile radio coverage within the state. In October 2020, the State of Iowa made a complete change to this new system and no longer maintained the VHS frequency system and towers.
Lt. Hogue says between 2018 and today; the Atlantic Police Department has purchased twelve portable radios, six mobile radios, and five vehicle repeaters. He says in summary, over one million dollars will be contributed through budgeting, preparing, and securing grants towards the purchase of equipment to all first responders throughout Cass County to utilize the ISICS system, with the intent to switch over to this system entirely. Hogue says that $17,699 is being contributed by Cass County as matching funds to the Fire Association Grant out of all of these funds.
Hogue says the system is working well in other parts of the County due to some of the bordering counties’ multi-million-dollar investments into the ISICS systems. However, a large area of Atlantic is in a “dead zone” for utilizing a portable radios.
Lt. Hogue says the solution would be an investment by Cass County to construct an enhancement tower that would boost overall coverage and provide portable radio coverage suitable for public safety usage.
Motorola’s proposal is to utilize the existing AMU Water Tower on 22nd Street to build an enhancement communications site to be used with the ISICS system, at the cost of one-million-seven-hundred-and-thirty-one-thousand dollars, and a seven-year proposal for maintenance for a life cycle support services, ranging from $90,000 to $100,000.
Lt. Hogue says that along with the enhancement to the tower, they ask for vehicular repeaters for all Cass County Fire Departments and EMS they have for the vehicle they see fit and two portable radios for the Atlantic Police Reserves.
Atlantic City Administrator John Lund says the lingering issue of how the maintenance fees for the new tower are funded needs to be addressed. He said it should be incorporated into the City’s 10-year budget planning.
Lund says the request of support is something the Cass County Board of Supervisors would like to see of the municipalities in Cass County; however, the City’s voice in the matter is non-existent.
Lund says this is an instance where the practical infrastructure, logistics, and financing need to be under the umbrella of the County. Lund recommended the Council unanimously adopt the resolution, encouraging the Cass County Board of Supervisors to make the Investment necessary to support First Responder Communication Coverage.
