Plymouth Supports Proposed County Radio Upgrade

The Plymouth Township Council voted to approve a resolution supporting a proposed upgrade of the county’s emergency radio system at its meeting on Monday.

The resolution, which states the township’s intention to purchase upgrade radios for its police and emergency services, comes on the heels of the county’s FCC-mandated radio re-banding that will cost the county roughly $48 million dollars.

Police chief Joe Lawrence advised the council to adopt the resolution in accordance with the county commissioners’ request that all municipalities weigh in on a proposed radio upgrade by August, but said that he felt the ordinance should allow the township to drop its support if any changes in the proposed upgrade should arise.

“I think its necessary to take some kind of action on this,” he said. “I think [other municipalities] are in the same position we are, which is on the fence. Some did make changes to give themselves an out, but most townships were in favor of this.”

Council chair Vince Gillen supported putting wording in the resolution to allow the township an option to withdraw its support of an upgrade plan down the line.

“We need to word the resolution in a way that the township can not support the proposal if it isn’t in our best interest,” he said at the council’s agenda meeting on Thursday. “”I think the upgrade is going to happen, but I also think the commissioners might not have given us all the information we need.”

According to the resolution, the township will purchase its radios outright instead of opting to take part in the county’s 10-year bond lease option. Each individual radio is expected to cost close to $6,300.

“If something does change, if the commissioners change something, this resolution should not lock the township into a carte blanche change,” Lawrence said.