By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Editor
The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors, during its Tuesday, June 15, meeting, voted to reappropriate $65,000.00 in funding for new radio repeaters for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
The funds were originally allocated to the County’s IT Department to upgrade audio and video equipment in the County Board Assembly Room at the Lincoln County Service Center in Merrill. However, CARES Act grant funding covered the costs of the upgrades, so the money was reallocated to purchase the new radio repeaters.
A radio repeater is a combination of a radio receiver and a radio transmitter. Repeaters receive signals and retransmit them, allowing the signals to cover longer distances.
Five repeaters used by the Sheriff’s Office have failed or are nearing the end of their life expectancy. The Sheriff’s Office’s spare repeater and a loaner from Northway Communications are currently in use to cover for two failed repeaters.
The radio repeaters at tower sites in Tripoli, the Merrill Highway Department, the Town of Corning, the Town of Pine River, and the Town of Harrison will be replaced using the funds, according to the resolution, which passed unanimously with a voice vote.