County Board OKs $4 million borrowing to finish radio system

The Ozaukee County Board last week approved borrowing $4 million to complete the upgrading of the countywide radio system. 

The money will primarily be used to purchase radios for the Sheriff’s Office,  Public Works Department and in all municipal police, fire and EMS departments in the county.

The upgrade will bring the system in line with the current public safety standards developed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Once the upgrade is complete, county radios will be able to communicate on any other upgraded system and will make it easier for county law enforcement and other departments to communicate with neighboring counties.

Last week’s borrowing is the second of two phases for the radio project, with a total cost of $7 million. About $3 million, borrowed last year, has so far been spent on the infrastructure of the system, towers, IT infrastructure and system design.

Planning on the work began in 2015. 

The project should be complete in 2020, county Administrator Jason Dzwinel said. 

The county budgeted a $200,000 debt payment this year. Payments will increase to  $430,000 in 2020. 

Officials estimated that interest would be more than 3% but the rate approved last week was 2.57%, Dzwinel said.

“The Executive Committee and County Board decided to take an aggressive approach to approving the borrowing, due to favorable market conditions,” Dzwinel said. “This approach saved nearly $300,000 in interest costs over the life of the borrowing.”

Dzwinel said the goal was to spread the levy impact over multiple budgets so that property taxes would not be significantly impacted  in any given year.