Commission approves purchases of servers and 800 MHz radios

The commission approved two technology-related purchases on the consent of staff: an emergency purchase of two Lenovo ThinkSystem servers and SAN storage for $7,088.98 (including shipping) and authorization to purchase 27 Kenwood VM8000 mobile radios for $159,300 plus 5% contingency.

IT staff (Seath) explained the servers were budgeted previously but price and availability changes prompted an earlier purchase. Parks/public-works staff explained the mobile radios are part of a multi-agency migration to the county 800 MHz system; statewide plans to move toward encryption make the move critical so public works can continue to coordinate with police and fire during emergencies.

Staff noted 12 older mobile units purchased in 2023 will not meet future encryption standards and will be reassigned to non-emergency equipment. Commissioners asked about resale or reuse of old equipment; staff said end-of-life devices will be recycled or repurposed within the city fleet rather than sold. The motions to approve both purchases carried.