Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal (Kansas)

The Shawnee County Commission on Thursday will consider approving a contract continuing the arrangement through which the county at no cost leases the use of a Kansas Department of Transportation emergency communications tower at 220 S.W. Gage Blvd.

The contract is among items on the agenda when Commissioners Shelly Buhler, Bob Archer and Kevin Cook meet at 9 a.m. in their chambers in Room B-11 of the county courthouse, 215 S.E. 7th.

The agenda packet for the meeting includes a memorandum to commissioners from Sheriff Herman Jones, who indicated the county and KDOT for many years have had a contract enabling the county to use the tower.

“This contract is for the next 10 years for the new Emergency Communications System we were in the process of installing,” Jones wrote.

He added: “There is no ongoing cost for this tower lease. The only cost for the lease is the installation of our equipment.”

The commission voted in May 2012 to buy a digital public safety radio system from Motorola Solutions Inc. at an anticipated total cost of about $13.2 million to replace the 800-megahertz analog system used by almost all law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical responders within Shawnee County. The contract commissioners approved called for the county to pay Motorola Solutions $12,097,357.

Commissioners plan as part of the consent agenda to consider a change order that would reduce that amount by $27,672, to $12,069,685. The commission generally approves consent agenda items without debate.

The agenda packet includes a memorandum in which Jones told commissioners the change order would remove $27,672 from the county’s Motorola Contract.

Shawnee County then would pay that amount to KDOT for the installation of the county’s equipment on the tower, Jones wrote.

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