County Approves Shared Communications Agreement with Stillwater

Smart Summary

Payne County Commissioners have approved an agreement with the City of Stillwater to house county communications equipment at city facilities. The partnership allows for shared use of radio towers and connectivity to the statewide OKWIN system, improving public safety communications across the county.

Driving the meeting: The agreement enables interoperability between city and county public safety systems by co-locating equipment.

• County equipment will be placed at Stillwater's tower site and City Hall, while the county grants Stillwater access to its radio sites.

Why it matters: The collaboration enhances coverage and interoperability for public safety communications throughout Payne County.

• Commissioner Seth Condley called the agreement "common sense" for improving public safety.

The timeline: Stillwater's new public safety communications tower is set to become operational in April.

• Full county-wide system implementation is expected by August or September.

Go deeper: The agreement outlines responsibilities for equipment maintenance and regulatory compliance.

• Each party will maintain their own equipment and adhere to applicable regulations.

What's next: Stillwater City Council will vote on the agreement at tonight's meeting.

Officials plan to delay full system activation until after the upcoming Boys from Oklahoma concert series in early April.

• This allows time for dispatcher and officer training on the new system.

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Detailed News Story

The Payne County Board of Commissioners has approved an interoperability agreement with the City of Stillwater that will allow the county to place communications equipment at city facilities while giving Stillwater access to county radio towers.

The Stillwater City Council will need to approve the agreement at tonight's meeting allowing city staff and Payne County to move forward with equipment installation.

The agreement centers around Stillwater's and Payne County's new safety radio systems, which includes a newly constructed communications tower at the city's Public Works Facility on East 8th Avenue.

Under the partnership, Payne County will locate its Virtual Prime & Edge Controller Server in Stillwater's communications equipment shelter and place its Aviat Pro Vision Microwave Network Management System at City Hall.

In exchange, Stillwater gains access to county radio frequency communication sites in Perkins, Yale, Cushing, and Glencoe at no cost, creating a comprehensive emergency communications network across Payne County.

"The system should be complete and completely ready to go by August or September," said Stillwater Emergency Management Director, Rob Hill. "We're very excited about this."

The city's tower is scheduled to go online in March, followed by a testing period before becoming operational in April. Hill notes they are deliberately timing the transition to avoid disrupting communications during major events.

"Due to the learning curve on the new system, we're waiting until after the Boys of Oklahoma concert series in early April," Hill explains. "We don't want to inject additional issues with communications while dealing with our partners at the sheriff's office and OSU."

The agreement provides Payne County access to the statewide OKWIN system through Stillwater's fiber connection, which enables statewide interoperability. The city will maintain responsibility for annual charges associated with the fiber connection.

District 2 Commissioner, Seth Condley expressed support for the partnership, calling it "common sense" during the meeting.

The agreement specifies that each party is responsible for maintaining their own equipment and complying with all applicable regulations. Payne County must obtain city approval for any equipment access, which will be coordinated through Stillwater Emergency Management.

While the initial term runs through December 2025, the agreement can be extended for five additional one-year terms by mutual agreement. Either party may terminate with 90 days' notice.

The partnership aims to enhance public safety by ensuring seamless communications between emergency responders across jurisdictions. Both parties agreed that the public safety benefits serve as sufficient consideration for the agreement.

Under the terms, Payne County must maintain liability insurance naming Stillwater as an additional insured, with coverage limits matching those set forth in the Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act.

The system implementation will proceed in phases:

• March 2025: Initial tower activation and testing
• April 2025: City system goes live after concert series
• August 2025: Remaining four sites expected online
• September 2025: Full system implementation complete

Hill emphasizes that the careful rollout will allow time for dispatchers, officers, and firefighters to adjust to the new system while maintaining effective emergency communications throughout the transition.

The agreement represents a significant step toward modernizing emergency communications infrastructure across Payne County while maximizing resource efficiency through equipment sharing between jurisdictions.