Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

The Santaquin Fire and EMS Department requested approval to accept the lowest and best bid for 20 radios, priced at approximately $56,000 total, during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The radios will be purchased from Mission Communications.

The department budgeted to replace 15 of 45 portable radios in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, utilizing Fire Department Reserve Funds, according to the agenda documents.

“We are upgrading all of our old radios to be compliant with the new Utah Communicates Authority network,” Fire Chief Ryan Lind said in the document. “The old radios are 12 to 15 years old, and we are unable to get parts to repair units that are currently broke. In the past, we have purchased radios from Motorola Solutions with state pricing. Each of these new radios cost $4300 each.”

The city also received a bid from Motorola Solutions for 22 radios, which would have cost approximately $95,000. The radios from Mission Communications are in-box radios that haven’t been used or programmed. Each unit cost $2,800. According to provided documents, Mission Communications offered the city one free radio per 10 purchased.

“These radios carry the manufacture 3-year warranty and have the same programming as the bid from Motorola Solutions,” reads the document. “Each of these radios’ cost the city $2,800. This allows us to take delivery of 22 radios for a total cost of $56,300,” said Lind. “The dealer only had the 22 radios left in stock.”

Accepting the bid from Mission Communications saved the city approximately $38,500.

The council also approved an interlocal agreement between Santaquin City and Utah County to receive reimbursement of approximately $1,500 for an outdoor camera to view the city’s permanent voting ballot drop box.

“Since we already have cameras on the building, this is just a reimbursement for us to get paid back that we already purchased and is state mandated,” Public Works Director Jason Callaway said. “The county has taken that and will reimburse us, as they are the election officials.”

The cameras were state mandated, but the county agreed to reimburse cities that follow specific instructions. According to the agenda documents, in order to be reimbursed, the city must have a permanently installed drop box in a location approved by the city and Utah County Clerk’s office, provide 24-hour video surveillance of each drop box and retain all recordings in compliance with city policy, maintain a sign at or near the drop box indicating it is under video surveillance and provide the county with the surveillance recordings upon request.

Both items were approved by the city council as presented.

Callaway wanted to remind the public that there will be four public hearings at next week’s planning commission meeting.

“We’ve got one of them that is related to a proposed ordinance amendment for agritourism and defining it and allowing it as a temporary use,” he said. “Another is related to detached accessory dwelling units initiated by the council. Another is related to automotive related repair services in the Main Street business district zone, and then we have a public hearing for a three-lot subdivision concept plan on the north side of Main Street.”

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