Council Approves $193,341 Purchase For Portable Police Radios

The Sedalia City Council approved the purchase of new portable police radios Monday night at a cost of $193,341.80.

During a slide show presentation by Sedalia Police Chief Matt Wirt, the Council heard a request to buy 49 APX400 portable radios for the SPD ($114,608.26), a base radio ($51,345) with installation ($15,161.02), two Animal Control radios ($4,677.89) and three for the Sedalia Fire Department ($7,549.63). Additional costs include equipment to electronically link all the radios together ($25,233.81).

The total amount includes what amounts to a $25,233.81 discount from federal seizure funds, Chief Wirt noted. $178,180.78 of the total amount is being charged by Motorola Solutions, Inc., (Shaumburg, Illinois) while $40,394.83 is being charged by Commenco, LLC (Kansas City, Mo.).

Also, two police receivers will be placed at Skyline and Parkview Elementary School's towers. The schools will pay for the electricity needed to power the equipment, and in return, the City will waive the costs associated with false alarms.

The upgrade in equipment means that the SPD will be switching to a digital signal, which is clearer, Wirt said. The move will also improve portable radio reception in the south and east areas of Sedalia, he noted, with two more repeaters added to the overall system.

Following Wirt's presentation, Council approved the purchase as well as a change order pertaining to the new SPD headquarters currently being built across the street from the Muncipal Building.

A need for more room for the City's ever-growing ATF Task Force resulted in a $1,620 additional cost to add a door between two internal rooms to accommodate the task force on the northeast corner of the second floor. Detectives will move to the offices on the west side of the building.

Septagon Construction is the general contractor for the new facility. The latest change order pushes the total contract price for the new police headquarters to $4,153,819.80.

It was noted that even with the change order, the project will remain under budget.

GHN of Springfield is the architectural firm on the project.