9-1-1 director explains radio surcharge, county debt near payoff

At the Ways & Means meeting, 9-1-1 Director Kelly Flynn explained the difference between the operating millage and the separate monthly surcharge that funded Eaton County’s radio infrastructure and radios for first responders. "The millage pays for our staffing, our technology, operations... the surcharge was for the radio system that was put in place," Flynn said, adding the county reduced the surcharge from $1.75 to $1.65 after the initial installation.

Flynn described towers in Olivet, Sunfield, Delta, Charlotte and Windsor Township, and stressed statewide system interoperability benefits — local agencies can now communicate across jurisdictional lines. Finance staff noted the radio infrastructure debt originated in 2020 (approximately $13 million) and is scheduled to be paid off in fiscal year 27/28; once that debt is retired, Flynn said, the surcharge could be reduced subject to board direction and long-term replacement planning.

Commissioners asked about warranty and replacement timing; Flynn said radios carry an atypical 10-year warranty and that the county budgets for preventative maintenance and eventual replacement through capital planning. "Our debt for the radio infrastructure is almost paid off... once that is paid off, we can actually drop that down if we need to," she said.