"...the upgrade -- the first of its kind in Michigan that he knows of..."
He don't get out much, does he?
Just some random thoughts:
So do any of the fire departments in Kent County have the DNR fireground frequency (154.295)?
Could they consolidate fire dispatching onto fewer frequencies & turn some of their fire frequencies into tac channels?
Could they install an MPSCS site at GRPD, switch all their LE to MPSCS, & use the vacated VHF police channels as fire tac channels?
If they haven't narrow-banded yet, that would be the perfect time.
They've taken some steps in the right direction by consolidating their dispatching, they just need to continue that process & now work on improving their comms.