Last updated: September 2026
PHILLIPS, Wis. — Price County is legally untangling itself from a stalled broadband and radio partnership with Bug Tussle while moving forward with a $49,000 consultant study to chart the future of its aging public safety radio system.
The Price County Executive Committee approved Phase 1 of a three-part radio system replacement plan on August 13, 2026, selecting TUSA Consulting Services of Missouri from a field of four proposals to conduct a feasibility and facility study. The study, funded entirely from a Bug Tussle bondholder account, marks the county’s first concrete step toward replacing radio equipment that Sheriff Brian Schmidt and other county officials have described as approaching end of life.
County Administrator Nick Trimmer told the committee that the county is simultaneously working to “close” its partnership with Bug Tussle, the broadband company that allowed the county to use its name on bonds in exchange for annual payments. The county has accumulated approximately $92,000 in that bondholder account, known as Fund 105, and has been drawing on it for legal fees associated with the unwinding.
“They told me they are seeking solutions from their counsel and our counsel to unwind the partnership with Price County and then close it out,” Trimmer said at the August 13 meeting.
The update at the September 10 Executive Committee meeting was brief. Trimmer described progress as “slow and steady” and said the county has made clear to Bug Tussle that the board will not authorize payments or sign any new documents. The county is also exploring whether a missed payment from Bug Tussle earlier in 2026, estimated at roughly $32,000, could give Price County legal leverage to declare the project concluded.
A Three-Phase Replacement Plan
The radio system study unfolds in three phases. Phase 1, approved at approximately $49,000 with a cap of $55,000, sends TUSA consultants to Price County to evaluate existing infrastructure, interview stakeholders, and present the county board with options ranging from a top-tier replacement to a bare-minimum upgrade.
Phase 2 would involve writing a detailed request for proposals, estimated at $45,000 to $60,000, ensuring that bids from radio vendors are comparable and complete. Phase 3 covers implementation oversight, typically costing 1 to 5 percent of the total project value.
Trimmer said the full radio replacement could cost between $1 million and $4 million, spread over a phased timeline of 3 to 10 years depending on which options the board selects.
The interview panel that selected TUSA included Board Chair Brian Ernst, Sheriff Brian Schmidt, committee member Bobby Hone, and Trimmer. Four companies expressed interest, three were interviewed, and TUSA was chosen based on both its Phase 1 proposal and its cost estimates for Phases 2 and 3.
End of Life Does Not Mean Lights Out
County officials have expressed urgency about the radio system, which serves police, fire, and emergency medical services across the largely rural county. But Trimmer clarified a key point that he said consultants should emphasize to the full county board: “end of life” means the manufacturer has stopped making the product, not that the system will immediately stop working.
“What end of life means is they don’t make that product anymore,” Trimmer said. “It doesn’t mean they don’t service it or it doesn’t at least fill the minimum need. It does mean you need to start looking.”
That distinction matters for a county weighing how quickly to invest in replacement technology. The current system still functions, but parts and support will become increasingly difficult to obtain.
New technologies could reduce costs. Trimmer noted that some jurisdictions are using vehicles equipped with repeaters as mobile towers, and that one comparable county saved approximately 40 percent on a $9 million radio project by sharing tower infrastructure with neighboring jurisdictions rather than building standalone towers.
16-County Frustration
Price County is not alone in its frustration with Bug Tussle. Trimmer said a 16-county group has formed around shared concerns about communication and unfulfilled promises from the company.
“When Brian and I were at a workshop in Wisconsin Rapids, Jim Metz from Taylor County was there,” Trimmer said. “He did not have nice things to say about Bug Tussle. So it is not just us.”
County Board Supervisor Larry Palecek was more blunt.
“I feel like we are just being dragged through the weeds by one leg by Bug Tussle,” Palecek said. “We are really in hurt for our emergency radio system. We could have been a lot farther down the road if we would have just taken it out on our own, and now we have to start over.”
The county’s partnership with Bug Tussle was originally intended to provide both broadband infrastructure and tower access for the radio system. With the partnership stalled, the county loses access to planned tower sites, potentially increasing the cost and timeline of the radio replacement project.
Norvado Fills the Broadband Gap
While Bug Tussle’s broadband plans have stalled, another provider is actively expanding fiber optic service in Price County. Norvado has received approval from the towns of Georgetown, Catawba, and Kennan to install fiber cables along local roads, bringing high-speed internet to areas that were supposed to be served through the Bug Tussle partnership.
The fiber installations, approved at town board meetings between April and May 2026, represent a parallel path to broadband expansion that does not depend on the county’s troubled partnership. Norvado’s work in Georgetown covers the majority of the township’s residential area, and the Catawba town board signed a letter of support for the expansion in May.
See also: our guide to free camping in Wisconsin
See also: what makes Price County communities special
See also: our guide to Price County public records
What Comes Next
The county board is expected to receive TUSA’s Phase 1 findings in early 2027, with implementation of a new radio system potentially beginning by mid-2027 and going live in 2028. The timeline depends on which replacement option the board selects and how quickly the Bug Tussle unwinding can be completed.
In the meantime, the county continues to hold the $92,000 in Fund 105 as leverage. No payments to Bug Tussle will be authorized, and the county is considering a formal resolution declaring its project with the company concluded.
“If they come up with a better plan in the future, they are more than welcome to come to the board and present that,” Trimmer said. “However, we are moving towards unwinding.”