FARMINGTON -- At the request of Farmington police chief Brian Hubbard, Farmington City Council approved an ordinance at its Feb. 13 meeting to waive the requirements of competitive bidding to purchase 46 mobile and 22 portable radios and related equipment for almost $200,000 from Smith Two-Way Radio of Fayetteville.
The city will use money from the American Rescue Plan Act to purchase the radios.
In a memo to the council, Hubbard said the need for a new radio system is imperative because of the age and condition of the current system. The current radio system is about 15 years old and "on the brink of catastrophic failure," Hubbard said.
As background for the council, Hubbard explained that Washington County decided to go with a new Motorola system and radios several years ago and has signed a contract for this system, with the "go live" date projected for June 22.
At that time, the county will switch from an analog radio system to a new digital radio system for dispatch and all first responders in Washington County. Washington County will be part of the Arkansas Wireless Information Network.
The county is taking care of the infrastructure costs of a new radio system, Hubbard told council members, and law enforcement agencies have the choice to select the radios they want.
Hubbard recommended the city purchase Kenwood units for the police department instead of using the Motorola units from the county.
For one, he said the Motorola units would belong to the county, not Farmington. If Farmington needs to purchase additional Motorola units, these cost about three times the price of a Kenwood radio. In addition, Hubbard said, the new Motorola units would not fit in Farmington's police vehicles without changing out the consoles.
Hubbard said he wants to puchase Kenwood units because Kenwood is a proven unit and Smith Two-Way Radio has served the state and surrounding states for 90 years. Also, Smith has been the radio provider for Farmington for many years.
"If we have an issue with a Motorola radio, we would have to contact their repair center and wait on an appointment for a technician," Hubbard said in his memo. "Smith Two-Way most normally can have you fixed the same day. Down time is critical when talking about your radio system."