Commissioner Coker to coordinate Curry County review of communication-tower procurement options

At a June 12 Curry County meeting, officials discussed next steps for county communication towers and asked a commissioner to coordinate further review and outreach to other counties.

The participant presiding over the meeting said the topic has been under discussion for a long time and that it was a good time to revisit options because the county expects outside funding. The presiding participant said the county anticipates "some substantial funds for towers in the upcoming federal budget process," and urged staff to continue work on procurement timing.

The Director of Operations, who reported on preliminary research, said the county is still compiling an inventory of assets attached to towers and assessing whether to proceed with a sole-source provider or to open the work to competitive bidding. "I haven't — I'm still gathering information," the Director of Operations said, summarizing the staff position that no procurement choice has been made.

The presiding participant asked Commissioner Coker to work with Director Fitzgerald and staff (including a person identified as Len) to collect comparative information and contacts from other counties; Commissioner Coker said he and Len "have reached out to other counties" and will continue gathering information. The discussion produced direction to continue research and coordination but no motion, vote or formal procurement decision.

The meeting closed after brief concluding remarks; the presiding participant announced adjournment at 9:17 a.m.

Next steps: staff will continue assembling the inventory and outreach materials and report back when more information is available; no procurement contract or timeline was adopted at the session.