St. Croix County moves ahead with concept for $20M communications upgrade; municipalities warned to prepare for radio migration

St. Croix County supervisors gave conceptual approval in a paddle straw poll July 9 to proceed with planning for an emergency communications infrastructure upgrade that county staff estimate at about $20 million (part of a broader capital package).

Terry Anderson, the county emergency communications manager, outlined a multi‑year plan to replace aging VHF infrastructure with an 800‑MHz system that would provide more talk paths, improved building penetration, recorded talk groups for training and incident review, and stronger managed‑access security. "We're asking to go from 5 radio frequencies that we have today to countless talk paths," Anderson said, adding the migration would also require replacing approximately 1,986 radios and about 90 base stations.

Anderson described practical reasons for the upgrade: denser building construction reduces VHF penetration, larger numbers of first responders (from 495 in 2017 to 621 in 2025) and growing radio device counts increase congestion. He cited a need to start permitting and NEPA studies early because the county's Hammond tower lease expires in January 2030 and some federal permitting (NEPA) can take 12 months.

Supervisors asked about interoperability and costs to municipalities. Anderson said the county has encouraged agencies since 2024 to consider dual‑band radios so they can operate on both existing VHF and new 800 networks; he also said the county will include radio procurement options in the RFP to help agencies access discounted pricing and grant opportunities. "We've been sharing with them that they should start looking at that, take advantage of grants," he said.

Witt and staff framed the communications project as lower long‑term risk because part of the work is routine maintenance/upgrades that will be necessary; supervisors voted by paddle to convey support for proceeding with planning and RFP preparation.

Why it matters: The communications upgrade is intended to improve responder safety, expand recording and training capabilities and ensure interoperability across jurisdictions; the project has multi‑year procurement and permitting timelines that will influence the county's bond and capital planning.