Sheriff outlines phased upgrades, dues concerns for county public-safety communications system

Sheriff Elliot, who chairs the YCOM executive board, told the Board of Commissioners that YCOM's budget committee has recommended a budget for the next fiscal year and that the executive board will consider that recommendation in an upcoming meeting.

Elliot said a subcommittee has been working on updating the county's intergovernmental (190) agreement to reflect membership and governance changes and that the process is detailed and time-consuming. He described recent board-seat changes and named representatives who will fill fire-district and small-city seats.

On financing, Elliot said the current dues split charges roughly 80% of YCOM dues to police agencies and 20% to fire, and noted that past reductions to user assessments mean current increases can appear large. He said staff are working toward a more predictable, data-driven dues model tied to prior-year call and usage data so member jurisdictions can better plan budgets.

Elliot reviewed technical planning: the county owns the public-safety radio system, YCOM is a user, and the county convened an advisory committee to examine future options. The committee issued a request for information last fall and received more than a dozen responses from industry, which the committee has scored and is now evaluating for technical feasibility. He said the county also submitted a SIP application via federal offices and is coordinating options so any federal outcome can be used in county planning.

"No matter what we do, there's big price tags and it has to be done in phases and all the while we have to maintain full operational capability," Elliot said.

Board members raised concerns from small cities about short notice on dues increases and discussed how a predictable assessment model might be scheduled. Staff noted the county has been able to maintain reserves and a service contract for ongoing maintenance, but that reserves have been tapped for pressing infrastructure needs.

What comes next: the YCOM executive board will meet to act on the budget recommendation; updates to the 190 agreement and technical analyses of RFI responses will continue, and any resulting capital upgrades will require phased funding and coordination with member jurisdictions.