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<br />Request for Action <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />To Item Number <br />Mayor and City Council 8.4 <br />Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by <br />General Business December 21, 2020 Mark Dickinson, Fire Chief <br />Item Description Reviewed by <br />Authorize Purchase and Additional Expenditure Cal Portner, City Administrator <br />for 800 MHz Radios <br />Reviewed by <br />Lori Ziemer, Finance Director <br /> <br />Action Requested <br />Approve, by motion, the purchase and additional expenditure from the GRE Reserve Fund to purchase <br />replacement 800 MHz radios. <br /> <br />Background/Discussion <br />At the October 19, 2020, Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) discussion, the City Council was made aware of a need <br />to replace the city’s 800 MHz radios. These radios are used primarily by police and fire using a dedicated <br />frequency that will not be interrupted in a large-scale emergency. The city also issues 800 MHz radios to public <br />works staff to ensure uninterrupted communication during emergencies. These radios are also compatible with all <br />Minnesota public safety providers. <br /> <br />Motorola is no longer supporting repair and replacement of the radio models we own. The Council approved the <br />replacement of our radio sets in the 2021 CIP with funding from the GRE Reserve Fund. Unfortunately, in our <br />replacement planning we did not account for the public works radio replacement. <br /> <br />In the CIP, $600,000 was allocated for the purchase. Chief Dickinson has negotiated discounts with our Motorola <br />sales representative that includes a 2020 commitment for a 2021 purchase of $949,160.04, which includes the <br />additional radios needed for public works. To get the discounts, the order must be placed this year. Elk River <br />Ambulance will reimburse the city $13,901.83 for the purchase of their radios. <br /> <br />Financial Impact <br />The GRE Reserve Fund has unallocated reserves that were received by the city under a host fee agreement with <br />Great River Energy for the operation of their municipal household waste to energy power plant. None of these <br />funds were received from a city tax levy. The current cash balance of the GRE Reserve Fund is $1,928,048. <br /> <br />Mission/Policy/Goal <br />This request is consistent with the Council-approved mission and values. <br /> <br />Attachments <br /> Motorola Radio Quote <br /> <br /> <br />The Elk River Vision <br />A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional <br /> <br />service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity. <br /> Updated: August 2020 <br />