Lorain County is finally moving ahead on a long‑running overhaul of the radios that keep police, firefighters and paramedics in touch when things go sideways. County leaders plan to shift much of the system onto the state’s Multi‑Agency Radio Communications System (MARCS) and put up new towers to fill stubborn coverage dead zones. Officials say the change should save roughly $15 million over time, and after years of political infighting and courtroom drama, chiefs who have called radios a “life and death” issue say they are seeing real movement.
Commissioners have approved plans to migrate more public‑safety traffic to MARCS and to transfer control of county towers to the state. Early users are reporting “excellent performance,” according to News 5 Cleveland. County leaders told reporters the move should cut long‑term operating costs and save taxpayers an estimated $15 million. State records also show a $400,000 capital release to build a new MARCS tower at the French Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Sheffield Village, per the Ohio Controlling Board.
The road to this point was anything but smooth. In late 2022, the county signed off on an upgrade contract with Cleveland Communications Inc. (CCI). A newly seated board then voted in early 2023 to rescind that deal and reopen bidding, as reported by Cleveland19. CCI responded by suing the county in federal court. Court filings spell out the dispute and the consent decree that set the rules for tower access while the case moved forward. A federal order denying CCI’s request to modify that decree, which details the Burns Road tower lease and related timing, is available on the public docket.
First Responders Cautiously Optimistic
Local chiefs who spent years pushing for better coverage say the overhaul is overdue and that true interoperability is the endgame. “I would trade in my guns, my handcuffs and my badge and solely wish for a radio,” Sheffield Village Police Chief William Visalden told reporters in August 2025, and he said on Friday the county is “a lot closer than we were” to a workable system, per News 5 Cleveland. Visalden noted that 911 operators with access to both systems will be able to patch talkgroups together during major incidents, and he stressed that countywide testing has to happen before any final cutover.
Legal Status
The clash with Cleveland Communications is still active in federal court, although a consent decree issued in September 2025 and a March 20 order now define who may remain on the county tower and for how long. Those rulings are part of the public docket. In the lawsuit, plaintiffs argue the board improperly rescinded contracts, while commissioners say their moves are about getting all agencies on a standardized emergency communications platform.
What’s Next
From here, the to‑do list includes finishing tower construction, completing system installs, and inviting agencies to participate in in‑building and interoperability testing before any full switch to the new setup. Local reporting and county documents put the overall project cost in the high tens of millions, roughly $27–28 million for the countywide buildout, and note that shifting maintenance responsibilities to the state should bring long‑term savings, per the Medina Gazette. The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office has told residents that 911 service will not be interrupted during the transition and that it purchased interim equipment to preserve interoperability, according to a county press release.
County leaders say the technical pieces are finally lining up, but vendors, local departments and the courts will ultimately influence the timeline for a full switchover. Expect more public meetings, testing announcements and rollout updates to show up on county agendas as the MARCS transition continues.
