Emergency radio system poll results unveiled

Results from a January poll gauging public support for a bond to support the construction of a new emergency radio system for Tillamook County were revealed on March 20. The survey showed that half of respondents supported the bond, with that number increasing as more information was shared with respondents.

According to Ben Patinkin, whose company Patinkin Research Strategies conducted the survey, those represent encouraging numbers and the board of county commissioners gave the approval to move ahead with marketing and preparing the bond question.

Tillamook County Chief of Staff Rachel Hagerty led the presentation and has been spearheading the initiative to replace the aging system since 2019. Hagerty said that the current system was installed between 2001 and 2003, relying on a property tax levy approved in 2001, and consists of very high frequency radios.

For the past 20 years, there has been no dedicated funding source for maintaining or replacing the system, leaving county staff to piece together a maintenance budget from the general fund.

The replacement process began in 2019, with the goal of creating a unified and reliable system with coverage across the entire county. The first step in that process was conducting a countywide system assessment, which showed that upgrading to a digital system was the appropriate approach and that all partner agencies using the system concurred.

An initial design for the system was completed, giving a budget estimate of $27 million for the project and putting the county in position to request proposals for a final design and construction once funding is secured. So far, the county has secured $2 million via a federal appropriation to support the project.

Hagerty said that county staff are in contact with state and federal legislators and exploring grants to support the project, but that it had become apparent those funding sources alone would not suffice.

That leaves a general obligation bond, requiring voter approval, as the only option to fund the project and late last year, commissioners greenlit moving towards a November 2024 bond question. Investigation by Hagerty has shown that a bond of 35 cents per one thousand dollars of assessed property value will be necessary to support the project’s budget.

As a next step towards the bond ask, commissioners asked Hagerty to commission a public opinion survey to determine the level of support for and how best to promote the bond.

Patinkin Research Strategies conducted the poll between January 7 and 10, and sampled 400 likely voters from across the county, with results weighted to reflect the likely electorate in this November’s election.

Results showed that 50% of respondents would vote yes to support a bond for a new radio system based solely on the proposed language of the bond, while 28% would vote no and 22% were undecided.

According to Patinkin, the biggest challenge facing the county was a generally positive perception of the current system, which 46% of respondents believe is meeting the community’s needs. Among that group, 68% would vote no on a bond, while only 28% would vote yes.

However, support among respondents increased as additional information was provided, with a further 4% supporting the bond with slightly more information than the bond language.

That number went up even further, to 58%, when respondents were given a quick pitch saying that passing the bond measure will help save lives by ensuring emergency responders can rely on up-to-date public safety communications systems anywhere in the county helping them to do their jobs to keep our communities safe.

The survey also gauged public perceptions of different groups who could help to promote the bond, showing that emergency medical technicians and firefighters enjoyed the highest trust, with law enforcement officers, sheriff’s deputies, local small businesses and chambers of commerce also having the community’s confidence.

According to the Patinkin, those groups could help to effectively spread the message about the need for a new system, given their strong standing in the community.

County Commissioners said that they were encouraged by the survey results and instructed Hagerty to proceed with preparing paperwork for the bond, which is due by August, and to put out a bid for a marketing firm to help promote the bond.