Communication shouldn’t be a problem for Warren County emergency responders and other departments after a purchase approved Thursday by Warren Fiscal Court.

The magistrates approved the request of county Emergency Management Director Ronnie Pearson to spend $395,702.81 to purchase a total of 93 portable and mobile radios from Motorola Solutions. The purchase is needed as part of an ongoing strategy of upgrading radio communications among various county departments, Pearson said.

“Some of the equipment we have has been in place since 2015,” Pearson said. “This purchase is part of fiscal court’s commitment to replace equipment that has reached the end of its life.”

Pearson explained that approximately 50% of the radio equipment used by county government was replaced last year. This year’s purchase, he said, means county departments “should be in good shape for another 10 years.”

The new purchase will focus on mobile radios for the county sheriff’s office and volunteer fire departments, Pearson said. The equipment, though, will allow for better communication among all departments, including parks and recreation, the county road department, emergency management, and the coroner’s office.

County Judge-Executive Doug Gorman said the purchase from the county general fund is “very close” to what had been budgeted for radio purchases this year, and he said the ability to communicate across departments is important, particularly during times of extreme weather and other emergencies.

“This is a pretty significant purchase for us,” Gorman said. “It gives us the ability for inter-department communication and gives us a better way to take care of our citizens. We need to have great communications during emergencies and in day-to-day operations.”

Pearson said the new equipment has features, including Wi-Fi capability, that are improvements over existing equipment.

“This ensures that our emergency services have equipment that is up-to-date,” he said. “We are grateful for the commitment of Judge Gorman and fiscal court to provide quality equipment.”

The radio purchase was one of several expenditures approved at Thursday’s meeting. The others:

• A $79,091 expense to JLH Mechanical for boiler replacement at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center.
• An expenditure of $39,500 to Southeast Banking System for installation of bullet-resistant windows, intercoms, and secure pass-through containers at three entrances to the Warren County Regional Jail. The purchase is being paid for with the jail’s canteen fund, which comes from money raised from sales at the jail commissary and the sale of phone cards.
• The $39,900 purchase by the Warren County Drug Task Force of a 2024 Honda Ridgeline truck.
• An expenditure by the county parks and recreation department of $15,660 to BG Winlectric for 10 LED light fixtures for the in-line hockey and pickleball courts at Basil Griffin Park.

The next Warren Fiscal Court meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23 at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse.