Scott County's small towns and volunteer fire and ambulance departments cannot shoulder the costs of replacement radios as part of a new radio infrastructure project.
That was the message Thursday night at a Scott County Emergency Management Commission meeting, as several small-town mayors, fire chiefs and other emergency personnel spoke of the budget challenges they already face buying new equipment and gear, paying for training and other mandates required by the state.
County officials on Thursday offered the first financial details of a $17.6 million Quad-City-wide radio system upgrade to nearly 20 emergency responders and elected leaders. They gathered at the Scott Emergency Communications Center, or SECC, which provides the county's consolidated dispatching.
"You cannot have enough pancake breakfasts to cover what we have to cover," said Donahue Mayor Ken Schoenthaler, who also sits on the commission.