DuPage replacing 700 of the county's cell phones

Dropped calls and dead zones are plaguing DuPage County's fleet of nearly 700 employee cell phones so regularly that next year's proposed budget calls for replacing all the devices and support equipment.

Annual service on the phones is estimated at roughly $300,000 while the county will experience a one-time equipment charge of $189,000 when it switches from Sprint to AT&T - $52,000 for the 688 new phones and $137,000 to replace on-site equipment, county information technology staff said.

The phones are for staff in the stormwater, transportation, public works and health departments as well as command staff, supervisors and detectives at the sheriff's office.

County officials said constant complaints from employees about the "walkie-talkie" feature not working prompted the switch. The devices allow interdepartmental communication, which could be used in an emergency.

However, some county board members questioned the need since the county's emergency management and sheriff's offices are on the verge of being outfitted with a new interoperable communications system through a $30 million contract with Motorola.

The county's Emergency Telephone System Board is overseeing the interoperable radio project. Board member Pat O'Shea, who is chairman of the ETSB, said the new phones are necessary now because the radio system won't be in place for a couple years.

"They're not redundant at this time," O'Shea said. "They'd be used by anyone in the line of the Office of Emergency Management."

County employees aren't allowed to use the phones for personal use and department heads are expected to audit phone bills to ensure they aren't being abused.

The nearly $500,000 expenditure is part of the expected $159.6 million in operational expenses contained in the county's $450 million proposed budget.

The county board has until Nov. 30 to approve the new fiscal year's budget.