DeKALB – The purchase of as many as 142 deeply discounted, but top-of-the-line public safety radios will be up for consideration during a special DeKalb City Council meeting Wednesday.
The retail cost of a dual-band portable radio is $4,250 apiece, not including accessories and setup, but after an order of 500 radios manufactured by E.F. Technologies was canceled, the city is in a unique position to buy them for $1,000 each.
The council had met Friday to consider the proposal and comply with E.F. Technologies’ tight deadline, but no vote could be taken without violating the Open Meetings Act since the meeting was held on Good Friday.
The DeKalb Police Department has $100,000 in the fiscal 2018 budget for the purchase of the radios, which would allow it to purchase 72 radios for the discounted price along with most of the requisite accessories. Should the police department buy radios at the retail price, they would only be budgeted for 35 with no accessories.
The council has the option to purchase 72 radios with most of their accessories and setup for the department in an amount not to exceed $100,000. But it could also approve the purchase of an additional 70 radios with minimal accessories and setup for the fire department in an amount not to exceed $171,000.
Should the radios for DeKalb fire be approved, the department could lose out on possible grant funding for the radios. It would still be eligible for grant money to fund radio accessories such as microphones, chargers and spare batteries.
The special council meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the council chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St.