Arlington Purchasing Public Safety Radios Approved by Voters in May

Published on August 21, 2025

By Susan Schrock, Office of Communication

The City of Arlington is purchasing $8.2 million in updated public safety communication equipment that voters approved in the May 2025 bond election.

This purchase includes nearly 1,100 replacement radios for Arlington police officers and firefighters that are used to communicate during day-to-day operations, critical incidents, and emergency response coordination. In addition to new radios, the City’s purchase also includes chargers, fire station alerting systems, and programming, subscription and installation services. Thanks to consistently high credit ratings from the three major independent rating agencies, Arlington expects to secure a low-interest rate when it sells bonds for the purchase in September.

Upgrading the outdated equipment is essential to maintaining reliable communication for our first responders. The new radios, which will be in use ahead of the nine FIFA World Cup games at AT&T Stadium next summer, will enhance the first responders’ operational effectiveness by incorporating modern technologies like GPS and high-speed wireless communication as well as artificial intelligence for the police officers. These features will improve radio coverage, ensure more reliable connectivity, and increase efficiency during both emergency responses and daily operations.

The new radios will replace police and fire radios that have been in service for more than 10 years and are no longer supported by the manufacturer, making repairs and maintenance difficult due to discontinued parts.

Arlington was able to negotiate a lower price on the communication equipment through discounts offered by the State of Texas Department of Information Resources, which is part of the State of Texas Cooperative Purchasing Program, and through leveraging other contracts the Police Department has with the manufacturer.

City’s Strong Bond Ratings Help Save Interest on Debt

The City of Arlington is scheduled to sell $45.5 million in bonds to fund the public safety communications purchase, along with other voter-approved projects for Fire vehicles, Police facilities, Parks & Recreation, Public Works and the Arlington Public Library, in late September.

Arlington’s fiscally sound policies, financial resilience, and manageable long-term liabilities have also resulted in consistently high credit ratings from the three major independent rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Ratings, and Fitch Ratings. These strong ratings are crucial as they enable the City to secure lower interest rates on its debt, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars. Arlington expects around a 4% interest rate on the 20-year debt, which will also include $8.5 million for fire vehicles, $2.4 million in library facility repairs, $1.8 million for Parks and Recreation projects, $4 million in police station repairs and $20.6 million for Public Works projects that were approved by Arlington voters in the 2018, 2023 and 2025 bond elections.

Recently, the agencies affirmed their confidence in Arlington’s financial management:

• S&P Global Ratings affirmed all three credits with its highest rating of AAA. In its rating, the agency cited: “The stable outlook reflects our view that Arlington’s strong economic growth and robust liquidity position will continue to be supported by its sophisticated management team. We also anticipate that additional debt will be mitigated by its growing tax base.”
• Moody’s Ratings affirmed all three credits with their second highest rating of Aa1. In its rating, the agency cited: “Strong financial management, including adherence to formal policies and multiyear forecasting, will support continued stable financial performance even as the city contends with more modest property tax revenue growth over the next few years.”
• Fitch Ratings affirmed the Water and Wastewater System (WWS) and Stormwater credits with their highest rating of AAA.

For years, these agencies have highlighted Arlington’s strong performance, financial resilience, and prudent management of long-term liabilities. These consistent recognitions demonstrate the City’s ongoing commitment to responsible fiscal stewardship and transparency for the benefit of its community.