City approves $27 million for radio system, along with new water fees
Jun. 14—The Bakersfield City Council approved its end of a new radio communications system at a cost of several million dollars.
The project, awarded to Motorola Solutions by the Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday and the city Wednesday night, will overhaul the county's public safety radio system from a 23-year-old analog network to state-of-the-art P25 Phase Two network.
A new system will include upgrades to existing radio towers, as well as new mobile and in-vehicle radios equipped with GPS capability — all of which operate on a streamlined communications web between emergency departments.
With this approval, the city will spend up to $27 million for the new digital radio system, though Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg said $5.5 million is contingent upon the cost of pending upgrades to current radio towers, and is subject to change.
Funding will come from Public Safety and Vital Services tax money set aside in the past three budgets.
The need for the system is urgent, with greater problems imminent, Clegg said, echoing statements by several council members.
"Experts said it the best," Ward 7 Councilwoman Manpreet Kaur said earlier Wednesday, at the 3:30 p.m. part of the City Council meeting. "Time really is of the essence on this one."
Law enforcement has lamented in past meetings that the current radios are unreliable, with most equipment past its "end of support" dates. Replacement parts, as iterated in past reports, are regularly picked up on eBay.
Council members approved the new system unanimously, without the deliberations carried out a day earlier at the Kern County Administrative Building just down the street. Supervisors raised questions Tuesday following a letter submitted by a competing company that questioned the fairness of the process.
In other business:
—A hearing held by the city's Water Resources Department included increased rates for the roughly 162,000 residents within the city Domestic Service Area. Rates will increase by 10% as of July 1, with a 6% increase every year through 2027, effective at the start of each July. The plan went unopposed and without comment during a public hearing.
New estimates are derived from studies conducted by Raftelis Financial Consultants reviewed by the city water board on March 2. Notices that displayed the proposed changes were sent by the city to ratepayers by March 22.
—The city approved a contract with Kern Pacific Construction Co. for the construction of the 20th and P Street Storm Drain Improvements. An inquiry to fix the drains came before the city in early 2022 by Sage Equities, a local developer, which met with the city's public works department to fix issues around their development, 918 at Eastchester in downtown Bakersfield. That said, the location is part of the city's Master Storm Drain plan.
Ward 4 Councilman Bob Smith, affiliated with Sage Equities, recused himself from the dais before discussion began, and did not return until voting ended.
—The city of Bakersfield purchased 50 licenses through Grammarly, an online typing and writing assistant, for new memberships, looking to combat the difficulties of grammar. It will cost $13,050 for a one-year term. The request, city spokesperson Eric Galvan confirmed Wednesday, came at the behest of the Bakersfield Police Department.
