Deschutes County commissioners should not foist expenses for improving the county’s law enforcement radio system on local police jurisdictions. That was not the deal.

The implementation of the county’s new $5 million-plus radio system has been full of unwelcome surprises. As soon as it was switched on about a year ago, complaints erupted about distortion and dropped signals. Bend police officers alleged to the state that the system was endangering their workplace. And county commissioners were even surprised to learn that they bought a system with so much digital distortion that it’s below the public safety standard of quality.

The latest surprise is that commissioners discussed the idea of having Bend or other jurisdictions pony up the dough to add another radio tower or make other improvements if they aren’t satisfied.

“They can help pay for it, is that what you are saying?” Commissioner Tony DeBone said in response to a comment from Commissioner Tammy Baney.

That idea flies in the face of how the funding was supposed to work. Back in November 2015, Steve Reinke, then the 911 director, appeared before the Bend City Council to explain about the new radio system. It was going to be a “better” system. There was no hint that it would be below the digital public safety standard.

Reinke asked the Council to support a proposed 911 levy. If the levy passed, the county would use the money to operate the radio system, add staffing and more. In return, local jurisdictions such as Bend could stop paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in user fees for the radio system. Bend councilors issued a statement in support of the levy. The same routine was repeated across the county.

Even county commissioners were told by Reinke that they were buying something that would be a “remarkable” improvement. It shouldn’t come as shock that is what law enforcement thought they were getting, too.

Deschutes County should at least deliver a system that meets the public safety standard. Nobody is demanding that the county do more than that. If anyone needs to pay more, it’s the county.