Board OKs Funding for Radio Network

Funding for an $80-million emergency radio system was approved Tuesday, but officials of some cities that will share the costs of the countywide network said they are not pleased with the plan.

Half a dozen cities have expressed misgivings about the funding plan, according to the Orange County City Managers Assn., saying it places too large a financial burden on municipalities.

The 800-megahertz system, which will link all police, fire and public works agencies, is considered crucial by public safety officials, who say that the current 400-megahertz system is obsolete.

Under the plan approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors, the county will contribute $27.4 million for the system, while cities will kick in a total of $49.5 million.

In earlier proposals, the county also was responsible for an additional $4.5 million, mainly to buy radio equipment for the marshal, probation and animal control departments and install communications devices near Laguna Beach.

County officials said this week that they can defer those purchases for now.

Most city councils have yet to take up the issue. But some officials already have raised concerns about the large sum that cities are being asked to pay.

The radio system would be governed by a panel made up for four city managers and three county officials, including the sheriff-coroner. That too is a point of contention among some city leaders, who say they want board representation in proportion to how much they pay.

The amount each city would pay to join the system depends on the number of emergency radios it requires and on its estimated population in 2004.