The Decatur County Board of Commission unanimously approved a contract with Motorola for an upgraded radio system at Tuesday’s meeting. The new system will replace the current emergency communication system used by Decatur and Grady Counties, the cities of Bainbridge, Cairo, Whigham and Attapulgus and the Decatur County Board of Education.

A new system is required due to constant interference problems on the current system.

Under the approved contract, Decatur and Grady Counties will share the costs of the infrastructure for the new system; while the remaining parties will purchase their own radios.

The total price tag for Decatur County is $2,007,511.54 for infrastructure and radios.

There will be an additional cost of $131,827.88, and an estimated yearly subscriber fee of $21,284.40.

“This system is a seven channel, 700 MGHz radio system sharing the master switch with Albany and the City of Thomasville [and Lee County],” 911 director Tonya Griffin said at the meeting. “It will be a regional system. It will be a four sites system that covers Decatur and Grady Counties.”

The county has agreed to pay their portion over a seven-year period by using a leasing plan from Motorola.

According to Griffin, the Decatur County Board of Education, the City of Cairo and the City of Attapulgus have chosen to pay their full costs up front and the remaining parties will use the seven-year lease option.

Motorola has said that except for possible software upgrades, that there is at least a 20-year lifespan for the system. The current system has only been in place since 2013.