Sheriff warns of aging VHF system; board to accelerate transition and notes jail budget changes

Sheriff Kevin Glenn told the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors that the county's VHF radio system — which many local fire departments still rely on — is aging, increasingly difficult to repair and requires planning for replacement.

"Much of that discussion was around the VHF system… the age, state of that and lack of repairability," Glenn said, explaining the 911 service board decided to notify entities of system status and to expedite moving fire communications onto the Issac system that operates on the 7800 MHz band.

Glenn also updated the board on jail population and related budgeting. He reported 23 inmates were held out of county "this morning" and later referenced 90 adults total in custody. The board amended the out-of-county housing budget up to $350,000 to cover placements; Glenn said year-end spending is expected to finish near $310,000–$315,000 under current projections. He said the board will meet with Carl A. Nelson to review preliminary design numbers to inform next steps for facilities planning.

The discussion focused on notifying local fire departments, accelerating procurement and factoring equipment transitions into the upcoming budget cycle and capital planning.