Butler County officials may decide this year how to address pending emergency services needs.

Consultant Brian Bark of Mission Critical Partners told the county commissioners during an informational meeting Friday they should conduct an extensive review of their options.

The county must replace radio equipment at the 911 dispatch center that will no longer be supported after 2018 and it must acquire new radio frequencies due to the federal government taking away the bandwidth called the T-band spectrum.

A 2012 law mandates the Federal Communications Commission take away the T-band from emergency services in many areas nationally by 2022 so it can be auctioned off to the private sector.

Bark said if the county commissioners approve a study of the available options, they would have a better idea on the feasibility of each.

“We will have more certainty,” he said.

Since the meeting was informational, the commissioners could not vote on whether to do the proposed study. The board will discuss the topic at a future public meeting to be determined.

Bark said the county needs to simultaneously address the radio equipment replacement with the frequency issue.

“You don’t want to spend money that’s a standard investment in five years,” he said.

Steve Bicehouse, director of county emergency services, agreed.

“We’re building it for the next 10 to 15 years,” Bicehouse said.

According to a rough cost estimate by Mission Critical, the county could spend as much as $14.4 million to buy new frequencies, replace county radio equipment and buy new radio equipment for municipal emergency services, including volunteer fire departments, necessitated by the county’s change.

Of the $14.4 million estimated for the costliest option, $4.5 million covers the needs of municipal departments.

Bicehouse said many departments cannot afford to buy that equipment.

“There are fire departments that will close their doors,” he said.

Bicehouse said it’s crucial the county make a decision on what direction to take so the municipal departments know what is coming.

“We have to have a direction for them to go,” he said.

Bark agreed the county has various considerations to weigh.

“There are a lot of factors to balance here,” he said.

Mission Critical estimates the cost for the three alternatives ranges from $8.5 million to $14.4 million. The price rises with the amount of space leased from telecommunications towers.

Bicehouse stressed the choices and corresponding estimates are far from actual.

“These are some preliminary options,” he said.

Bicehouse and Bark agreed actual costs should be lower.