TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Beth Beatty, City Manager
SUBJECT:
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Request for Authorization to Pay STARCOM User Fees
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BACKGROUND:
The City of Joliet initially entered into a contract with the Motorola-owned STARCOM statewide public safety radio system in 2011. Under that contract, portable and mobile radios were purchased for the Police, Fire, and Public Works Departments. These radios are referred to as “subscriber units” and the contract per radio used on the system at the time was a local use rate of $30 a radio per month. In March 2014 the prepaid “airtime” fee was exhausted. The State negotiated a 10-year contract rate per radio used on the system at a local use rate of $34. This rate expired in 2022 and the State of Illinois and Motorola were in negotiations till they signed another 10-year contract in July of 2023. Every July the user fees go up until June of 2033 when the contract expires. This item was reviewed at the Public Safety Committee Meeting held on April 2, 2024, and recommended to the full Council for approval.
CONCLUSION:
The exact cost of the user fee rate price per radio used on the system is dependent on the number of radios used each month. Increasing personnel in any of the departments will necessitate the purchase of additional radios, which will cause the user fees to increase. The City of Joliet currently has about 530 radios being used on the STARCOM system for both Police and Fire. The current contract fees between the State of Illinois and Motorola are $41 a radio per month for local cities. In July of 2024, the fees go up to $46 per radio per month.
10-Year STARCOM Contract Rate Schedule:
In accordance with section 2-438 of the City of Joliet Code of Ordinances which states that purchases over $25,000.00 may be awarded without written specifications or bidding under certain circumstances. Two of these circumstances apply:
1. (a) Purchases which may only be practicably made from a single source.
2. (c) Purchases of equipment which, by reason of training of city personnel or an inventory of replacement parts maintained by the city, are compatible with the existing equipment owned by the city.
3. (f) Purchases when authorized by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all members of the city council holding office.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, it is recommended that the Mayor and City Council authorize payment to Motorola Solutions as described in the monthly listed fee schedule from July 1st, 2023, through June 30, 2033.
The estimated cost for 2024 will be about $280,000. There are currently funds budgeted from Org Code: 06001000, Object Code: 524302 in the amount of $250,000. We are also seeking a budget amendment to accommodate the additional $30,000 in yearly user fees for 2024.
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