126-99 Ordinance
.W..~ _ n -..~.Y. _ _
RECORD OF ORDINANCES
Dayton Legal Blank Co. Form No. 30043
Ordinance No.__________1-2b-~9.__ Passed _ __-___-19------ -
AN ORDINANCE DECLARING THE PROCUREMENT OF "800
TRUNHING" RADIO COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR
THE DIVISION OF POLICE AS A "SINGLE SOURCE" PURCHASE,
WAIVING COMPETITIVE BIDDING REQUIREMENTS, AMENDING
THE 1999 ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS, AND DECLARING AN
EMERGENCY.
WHEREAS, Section 8.04 (c) ("WAIVER OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING") of the Revised
Dublin Charter authorizes Council, by a vote of no less than five (5) Members, to waive
competitive bidding requirements if it determines that an item is available and can be acquired
only from a "single source"; and
WHEREAS, Council has determined that there is a legitimate need to declare the procurement
of the above referenced communications infrastructure as a "single source" purchase for
reason that only one manufacturer's equipment is compatible with the City's existing
equipment for "800 MHz trunking" purposes; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to amend the annual appropriations ordinance to provide the
necessary funds for such purchase;
NOW~REFORE BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Dublin, State of
Ohio, of the elected members concurring that:
Section 1. That the procurement of the above mentioned radio communications
infrastructure, in the amount of $1,415,459.08, for the Division of Police is hereby declared
.ter to be a "single source" procurement.
Section 2. That competitive bidding requirements are hereby waived for the procurement
of the above referenced equipment.
Section 3. That there be appropriated from the unappropriated balance in the General
Fund, the amount of $800,000 to account 101-0230-810-2729 for the purpose of transferring
funds to the Radio System's Improvement Fund.
Section 4. That there be appropriated from the unappropriated balance in the Radio
Systems Improvement Fund, the amount of $1,600,000 to account 428-0314-780-2520 for
the purpose of procuring the "800 trunking" radio communication infrastructure.
Section 5. That this Ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure necessary
for the immediate preservation of the public welfare in that in order to comply with IRS
regulations relating to the issuance of debt, this expenditure must be completed by November
5, 1999. Therefore, this Ordinance shall take effect and be in force immediately upon passage.
Pa e ,Sfi day of p , 1999.
ayor -Presiding Officer
i
ATTEST:
Clerk of Council
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`/SS7; rt of Council, Dublin, Ohio
Dublin Division of Police
6565 Commerce Parkway Dublin, Ohio 43017-3221
Phone:614-761-6500 Fax:614-761-6535
CITY OF DUBLIN Rob Geis, Chief of Police M e m o
To: Members of Dublin City Council
From: Timothy C. Hansley, City Manager
Date: October 28, 1999
Re: Public Safety Communications Equipment Purchase
By: David L. Harding, Director of Human Resources/Procurement
Rob Geis, Chief of Police
Attached for your consideration is Ordinance No. 126-99 declaring the procurement of public safety radio
communications infrastructure as a "single source" purchase, thereby waiving formal advertising and
competitive bidding requirements. (Section 8.04 (c) of the Revised Dublin Charter authorizes Council, by
a vote of no less than five (5) members, to waive competitive bidding requirements for an item costing
$20,000 or greater if it determines that such item is available and can be acquired only from a "single
source.") This purchase involves the procurement of an array of sophisticated hardware in the amount of
$1,415,459.08, to significantly upgrade the present communications system. (Council will recall that this
system upgrade was proposed and approved in the Capital Improvements budget process.)
Staff has researched the equipment which would be necessary to meet the City's objectives and has
determined that, for purposes of 800 MHz trunking compatibility, only one manufacturer's equipment
(Motorola) meets our needs. Given the proprietary nature of trunking technology and the City's present
investment in Motorola equipment, Staff believes there is more than sufficient justification to support the
purchase of the needed infrastructure on a "single source" basis. (Attached for your reference is a copy of
the proposed contract with Motorola for the purchase of the required infrastructure, which includes an
a ui ment list an executive overview a s stem desi descri tion and a ro ect im lementation lan.
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Please note that the attached Ordinance has been drafted as emergency legislation. Given that IRS
regulations relating to the issuance of debt require the City to expend funds for the equipment by November
5, 1999, it is critical that Ordinance No. 126-99 be adopted as emergency legislation at the November 1,
1999 Council Meeting.
The Police Division's Communications Supervisor has been intimately involved with the technical aspects
of the system design and will be in attendance at the November 1, 1999 Council Meeting to answer technical
questions regarding the upgrade and operation of the system.
As Council will recall, the objectives of this system upgrade are to improve radio system coverage and to
increase system capacity through the use of computer controlled trunking technology.
Increased System Coverage
Since the radio system was built in 1989, there has been a radio reception problem along the Scioto River
corridor. In the early years of the system, the problems were limited to poor "talk-in" quality of a
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walkie-talkie communicating with the repeater/base station when the walkie-talkie user was standing along
the steep cliffs of the Scioto River. However, in the past five years, with the dramatic increase in building
density and new housing along the Scioto River corridor, the problem of poor reception has become much
more pronounced. At times, walkie-talkie users are unable to establish communication with the radio
network from Scioto Park, as well as inside houses or businesses along the river corridor. Also, with the
construction of medium to high-density buildings such as Scioto High School, Dublin Village Center, and
the Quarry Office Park, radio reception has decreased. Since 800MHz technology works on a "line of sight"
principal where reception is best between the field unit and the tower site when they are within a "line of
sight", growth within the City has placed barriers between the user and the tower site.
The need to address these reception problems is critical to both employee and citizen safety. A police officer
needs to be in constant communication with the Communications Center as well as other officers in the field.
Currently, when the officer is out of his/her police cruiser in Scioto Park, the ability to communicate is
severely compromised. An example of this limitation occurred when a citizen was injured in Scioto Park
during a sledding accident. A parks worker had to run to the top level of the park near Riverside Drive to
be able to talk with the Communications Center because his walkie-talkie could not connect with the
repeater when he was on the lower level of the park with the injured party.
This capital improvement project will fund the addition of areceiver/transmitter site to be located on the top
of an existing wireless tower site located at Dublin Scioto High School. All four of the existing radio
channel transmitters will be duplicated at this site in the same way they are installed at the Avery Road water
tower. The two sites will be tied together by a data grade wire line and used together to, in effect, double
our current radio coverage area. The system is designed to overlap coverage in those areas previously
identified as deficient such as Old Dublin, the Scioto River Corridor, and the Quarry Office Park. The new
site will also enhance radio reception in the medium to high-density buildings east of the Scioto to include
Dublin Village Center, Scioto high school, Village Square, and Dublin Sawmill Center.
A significant benefit to adding the second receiver/transmitter at Dublin Scioto High School is the
redundancy it will provide to our system. With the current single site plan at Avery Road, should that tower
site be compromised by damage to the water tower or the antennas by a severe weather event, or even by
overpowering lightning strikes, the radio system would be significantly crippled. Safety forces would still
be able to communicate, but only at short distances. By adding Hard Road as a fully redundant site, should
one site be compromised, the other site can serve as the primary tower site and maintain a high level of
service to the users. Although the system would not operate at 100% capability, it would operate at a level
equal to the current one-site system.
Uggrade to Trunking TechnologX
Trunking is a technology that has been employed in the communications industry for years. Local telephone
providers first designed this technology. Your residential telephone shares a small number of "trunk lines"
with as many as 50 other phones. As you pick up your phone to obtain a dial tone, a computer processor
searches for an available "trunk line" and gives your phone access to the system. Trunking radio works on
the same concept. Trunking the City's existing 4 radio channels will accommodate additional users on the
radio system. More importantly, many new "talk-groups" can be created to accommodate the many different
departments within City government. Currently, all City services, other than police, are talking on one radio
channel that is clogged during the day with multiple departments and multiple users. Through trunking
technology, each City department could have their own "talk-group" separate from the other departments,
on which to conduct their daily business. Also, departments could have multiple talk-groups if they wish.
For example, the Department of Service could have atalk-group for building maintenance, atalk-group for
snow removal, atalk-group for park maintenance, and atalk-group for administration. Through
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