[0:03] This conference will now be recorded. >> I won't say anymore

[0:08] after we're done. >> Call to order the special council

[0:13] meeting on July 3rd, 2026 at 10 p.m. Meeting call to order.

[0:20] » 10 a.m. 10 a.m. [laughter] >> Clock does say 10 p.m. So there you go.

[0:26] » So, uh, need to approve the agenda. I move to approve the agenda as written.

[0:33] » So moved. Second. I'll >> second. Seconded by councelor Weller.

[0:38] » All those in favor by saying I >> I

[0:41] » I >> I

[0:43] » I. >> Motion carried. Moving right into new

[0:46] business. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for

[0:49] for uh being present at this meeting because we kind of got caught off guard.

[0:56] I just happened to look looked at my email yesterday morning from got an

[1:00] email from Tyler Miller saying that there's a deadline uh Friday

[1:07] and so I uh immediately called Joelette. I didn't mean to bother you yesterday

[1:14] but it was pretty important. So, we decided to

[1:19] um in light of the vote last Monday, there was one uh nay

[1:27] uh uh we thought we it would behoover our

[1:32] council and city to have a special meeting to make sure that uh we're doing

[1:38] this the right way. And um and so here we are. And um

[1:47] to me it's uh after reading it, it's it it's

[1:54] um would really benefit our city. Um it's kind of like a donation of

[2:02] $56,414.50

[2:07] for with no string attached. It's just products only. Um,

[2:15] so it it's it's a good thing. Um, Joseette, you want to have Sure.

[2:21] » So, um, this one is going to be the leading agency is going to be Columbia

[2:26] County Sheriff's. The participating agencies are City of St. Helens Police

[2:32] Department and Renown Police Department. um answers to the questions from last

[2:37] time because it's just products. There is has been no cost overruns in the

[2:42] past. These are not estimates. They're actual

[2:45] costs for specific numbers of radios. So, uh Tyler said it's almost unheard of

[2:51] because there's nothing to overrun on the costs. And in relation to fire

[2:56] departments, these grants through the brine um

[3:02] statewide crisis intervention program are specific to law enforcement, not

[3:07] fire departments, but the fire departments have the assistance to

[3:11] firefighters grant that they can go through. They said they have their own

[3:16] grant person who's going to be doing their grants for their radio upgrades.

[3:21] So, those are the two questions you guys wanted answers to before we were to sign

[3:27] for anou. Um, does anyone have any other questions?

[3:33] » Go ahead and Sean, they're all good as far as

[3:38] changing frequency and all that. I'm >> Yeah, it's the goal of I mean, there's a

[3:43] couple things the the upgrades to the towers are going to be this. So, if we

[3:50] hold out and don't go for a grant, we're going to be kind of on our own to

[3:54] eventually buy our own, which is that's kind of not

[4:00] reality for us. Um, I think everyone was a little hesitant at first. They

[4:06] thought, "Oh, we're going to have to be, you know, it's going to be like

[4:09] Washington County owns us or there was all these kind of fears associated with

[4:14] it that I think most of them in their chief's meetings." and then their fire

[4:18] department chief meetings that kind of talked through those issues. Um, so and

[4:25] Sean's real concern was that the city of Scapus's council president who was is

[4:32] Tyler Miller had a communications company and whether or not that was some

[4:36] sort of conflict of interest for him to be pushing for these radios and own a

[4:42] company. But he is not associated with that company anymore. Um, and as theou

[4:47] states, it's Communications Northwest or Raycom who will be doing and others

[4:52] could do it too, the programming, but those are the two that they're working

[4:56] with to program these radios because they have a specific encryption key that

[5:03] not all the little communication agencies have. There's specific ways to

[5:10] encrypt them. I guess >> it's a security thing. They don't want

[5:13] it everywhere. Yeah, they don't want everyone to have the specific channel.

[5:18] » Sure. >> ID. So,

[5:19] » that makes sense. >> Um, after kind of that, we there isn't

[5:25] really like a you know, we do have working radios

[5:29] right now, but those working radios could go to some other agency. So the

[5:34] police department potentially could get s council could surplus those and the

[5:39] police department could um you know sell those and then have that money go into

[5:44] the police department. So yeah, there's not really the pickup the same as there

[5:51] was originally. >> Do you know what kind of cost is

[5:54] involved in changing out switching the radios?

[5:58] » You mean what? >> Well, like installing them in in the

[6:01] vehicles. Well, so we have docks in the vehicles. Um, I don't know. I' We'd have

[6:08] to ask John if those I'm thinking they're the Motorola Tate type, so I

[6:13] think they're pretty similar, but I'd have to ask him if there's a docking

[6:17] change.

[6:20] I could text him and ask him. I did talk to Tyler yesterday to con tell him what

[6:26] we're having a special meeting and he mentioned that Shawn is totally on board

[6:31] with this and very excited about it. So >> though he's talked to Sean.

[6:37] » Yes. >> Okay.

[6:39] » So yeah, and that's the thing I think jurisdictions get kind of

[6:46] um what do I want to say? Proprietary and like not us. We're not going to do

[6:51] right. But as a system, we really need to be on board with what

[6:57] the bigger system is changing to. Even if it has growing pains for us, because

[7:03] ultimately we'll be the odd man out if the system isn't is reads ours less and

[7:08] less and less over time as it gets upgraded. That's only just bad for us

[7:15] instead of getting ripping off the band-aid. So, I'm I'm a rip off the

[7:19] band-aid type of mom. Like, I don't pull it slowly. I just real quick. So the

[7:24] change might have growing pains, but it's not going to be long term.

[7:31] » So So you mentioned that the uh change of the frequency in the towers is

[7:36] already baked into >> well that that's budget or

[7:40] » that's where CCOM is going, right? So we have a number of things that are on the

[7:47] list of things to do at emergency management and SECOM, right?

[7:52] one the first and we've had multiple directors which have all had their own

[7:56] direction. We've gotten away from changing. First

[8:00] it was spend all the money on the actual pods that the 911 dispatchers take like

[8:06] the whole that whole thing. They've gone away from that and now they're talking

[8:11] because those were not the most upto-date but they weren't fa flailing

[8:18] right. So now they've gone to that they're trying to do more to power

[8:23] connectivity and upgrade there. And so with everyone once everyone is switched

[8:30] then those bigger things can happen to upgrade the two towers that we need.

[8:37] We they own land for other towers that's kind of on the back burner because

[8:42] there's one like out towards Baker Point that they own land but they don't have a

[8:48] tower there. And that would be really the final connectivity of getting all

[8:52] the line of sight reading going on. Um but we could also have when emergency

[8:59] management we could have them come and um CCOM give us a presentation of that

[9:04] breakdown. But it's been up and down as the different directors kind of push

[9:09] what they want to do. Um, but that's the goal. If we can get everyone on the

[9:14] same, then we can make some less extreme changes that make our system better

[9:20] before the bigger, you know, the finalized closing the loop, so to speak,

[9:26] changes that are what they see as costing us the most money.

[9:31] » I mean, I just I mean, it's it's into the nitty-gritty. It just seems to me

[9:35] that you got one tower. I don't know how many

[9:40] transmitters they actually have. I mean, do they run the old one and then

[9:45] implement the new one? I mean, it's got to be some type of handoff, but you

[9:49] can't have agency down here, one up here.

[9:52] » Well, I know that some of our towers already have that type of transmitter

[9:56] because other agencies >> put them up for their use in our area.

[10:01] Oh, >> so there I think there's some of that

[10:04] piggybacking till our like that version because I know like the dead zone

[10:09] between us and Washington County is only dead because it our radios don't go

[10:15] where their radios go. And so when they looked at like they laid out an over map

[10:21] of and I wish I would have given that to you guys the last version we saw, but

[10:26] they basically laid out Columbia County and it showed where the dead zones were

[10:30] and like a good chunk of that was covered by the other version, not our

[10:36] version. And so it minimizes the dead if we can

[10:41] » if we go to the 800. >> Yeah. if we can get to the what everyone

[10:44] else is using because they're already kind of putting it in for themselves and

[10:48] they're way bigger agencies where they can put something so that they have the

[10:52] spread all the way out to edge of banks, right? Or wherever where we don't have

[10:58] that same monetary >> Yeah.

[11:02] » Sorry. >> I mean, I'm just curious. I mean I

[11:05] what's going on here was what SECOM was pushing for

[11:14] you know there were the director they were I mean it was a big conversion I

[11:18] think over there but it was to go to the new radios

[11:22] so it was like I'm I'm a little like where are they where's where where's

[11:26] Secom going to get their money to do their transition part of this

[11:31] » right but I think a lot of All of this also, which they're trying to get this

[11:37] part of the infrastructure done through free money.

[11:40] » Yeah. >> And then just the built-in

[11:42] infrastructure is what we have to the taxpayer has to worry about, right?

[11:46] Because I think it was like $33 million or some crazy number,

[11:50] » right, >> they had on it. Um, but that was like

[11:53] full boat everyone >> like a whole switch out all at once.

[11:57] » Yeah. And so I think they're slowly trying to just get what they can get for

[12:02] free and then we'll have a final nut we have to pay for.

[12:08] » And then correct me if I'm wrong and you might check on this, but I think I

[12:14] remember Tyler talking about if we did accept this and we're awarded the grant,

[12:21] they would do the installation also. >> Yeah,

[12:24] » that might answer your question a little bit. So I think I mean and you know

[12:30] cross your fingers we get the grant it's it's a grant application. So if we don't

[12:35] get it then we come back to the drawing board and are redising all these same

[12:40] things again. Um >> I think the voters really told

[12:47] 911 you got to get your act together. We can't we're not going to fund some pie

[12:53] in the sky version. And I think that's this is their movement towards that is

[12:58] like the different agencies figuring out how to get the smaller agencies

[13:02] equipped. So then we can start chunking away these things with grant money

[13:07] instead of just out of everyone's pockets. But

[13:11] » so I guess if we get this grant, we'll have technically we'll have the radios.

[13:17] We won't install them until we're capable. Maybe capable now. And I can

[13:23] get I can get that answer for you. I >> It does. It's kind of a mute point

[13:27] because if it's not capable, we're not going to install them.

[13:32] I don't know what ramifications of that are, but

[13:36] » uh well, >> evidently they have somebody has a plan

[13:39] to do that because >> or it's or or it's already up there and

[13:43] it's just not being used by information while this is being applied

[13:48] for too. Yeah, it's just kind of technical end of it and um we have to

[13:52] kind of put some faith into the people that are rolling this out that they've

[13:56] already answered those >> for our services. I mean, the ones we

[14:00] own, we still own. >> Yeah.

[14:02] » So, you know, come say they >> we wouldn't put them in.

[14:06] » They stall on bringing it to fruition up there. We still have we're still covered

[14:11] on our own. >> Yeah. Side. until we get

[14:14] » Well, the city of Scapus, Rainineer, and Columbia City are already on board.

[14:19] » Yeah. >> Already been

[14:20] » Yeah. >> awarded.

[14:22] » Yeah. >> And we're we're trailing behind.

[14:27] » Yeah. We're the second ask. So, >> with with St. Helens,

[14:32] » St. Helens signed yesterday. >> Yeah. I have the the one I'm If you guys

[14:36] approve it, I'm signing the one they already signed. Good.

[14:40] » He sent me. >> That's what he wanted.

[14:43] So, >> when uh when does it come word with with

[14:47] the grant being awarded? >> This doesn't I didn't get that. I'll

[14:51] have to get that from Sheriff Pixley. I don't know what the return

[14:55] is. I looked into this program and they fund a ton of different things. I was

[15:01] chasing chasing down all these watching all these videos of what they f and I

[15:06] was like this is confusing to me because I couldn't get specific like timelines

[15:12] for each one but they fund a lot of you know emergency crisis law enforcement

[15:18] stuff. So >> but makes sense it's a you know kind of

[15:23] statewide program. out.

[15:28] Any other questions?

[15:32] Okay. Anyone like to make a motion?

[15:41] I guess I'll move. >> Okay. Yeah.

[15:44] » Authorized city administrator sign theou for the Ryan statewide crisis

[15:50] intervention program grant application as a participating agency.

[15:55] » I'll second that. >> So moved and thank you. Seconded. All

[16:00] those in favor signify by saying I. >> I.

[16:04] » I. Motion carried.

[16:08] You already signed it. No, I'm I was just [laughter] I was I was writing

[16:12] motion carried. I'm gonna sign it right now. [laughter]

[16:19] » Well, thank thank you very much you guys. And

[16:21] » and thank you to that again coming in on >> Yes.

[16:25] » not feeling very well and sounds you sound better today.

[16:29] » It's because I just woke up Rick. I told him sleep. He's like you don't sound

[16:33] very good. I'm like I just woke up. I'm sorry.

[16:37] » Thank you again, Joe, for >> you were pulling the tail.

[16:40] » I mean, we [laughter] we almost

[16:44] » we might have missed it. >> Yeah. Players here. So, [laughter] thank

[16:48] you for again for taking your time out in your holiday. So, I will adjourn the

[16:53] meeting at 10:15. You journ.

[16:57] » Thank you, Susan. >> Oh, you're welcome. Oh,

[17:03] cool. It's fun.

City Council Meeting - July 3, 2026

Transcript