USE OF STATE POLICE RADIO TOWERS - H.B. 4259 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS
sans-serif">House Bill 4259 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Representative John Pappageorge
House Committee: Local Government and Urban Policy
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 152 of 1929, which provides for the State-owned and -operated Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS), to require the Director of the Michigan Department of State Police to allow any local governmental public safety agency to use the communications system, including attaching public safety communications equipment to towers built under the Act. A local agency requesting permission to use the towers would be responsible for all costs associated with installing and maintaining local agency equipment and any damage to it from natural causes. The bill also would allow the State Police Director to authorize any other governmental public safety agency to use the MPSCS, including attaching public safety communications equipment to MPSCS towers.
A local governmental public safety agency requesting permission to attach equipment to a tower would be required, at its own expense, to conduct a structural analysis and wind load analysis of the tower that included any existing and proposed loads or antennas, cabling, and appurtenances. The local agency also would have to perform a radio frequency interference analysis of its proposed equipment with all other equipment on the tower on the date of the request. The Director would have to give the agency documentation necessary to perform the structural, wind load, and radio frequency analyses.
The Director could deny permission to a local governmental public safety agency to install or attach equipment to a tower only if the structural, wind load, or radio frequency interference analysis determined that the installation or attachment would structurally impair the tower or harmfully interfere with the operation of the MPSCS.
Currently, the Director is permitted to authorize any governmental public safety agency to use the system.
MCL 28.283 - Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local and State public safety agencies. Though at least one local public safety agency has expressed interest in placing its communications equipment on a State-operated tower, it is not known how many would do so, or what the cost to the local agency would be.
Currently, if a local public safety agency chooses to become a member of the MPSCS and use existing State equipment on MPSCS towers without placing its own local equipment on these towers, it must pay an activation fee of $25 per radio and an annual membership fee of $200 per radio.
Date Completed: 4-24-03 - Fiscal Analyst: Bruce BakerFloor\hb4259 - Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.