RNRC is a cooperative, not a traditional commercial radio provider. Members share the actual costs of operating and maintaining the network using a defined cost-allocation formula.
RNRC does not charge every member the same flat annual rate. Operating expenses are classified according to what they support and then allocated among the members who benefit from those expenses.
Each year, RNRC uses its approved operating budget to estimate each member's share of the cost of operating the Cooperative and the repeater sites available to that member.
The amount a member pays can therefore differ depending on the member's network requirements and number of active subscriber radios.
Applying for membership, contributing capital, and paying your annual operating expenses are separate financial obligations.
Covers the administrative and technical work required to review your application, evaluate anticipated network use and coverage needs, and determine your expected costs and initial capital contribution.
New members make an initial capital contribution determined under Cooperative policy. Capital contributions are separate from ordinary operating expenses.
Your annual operating responsibility is calculated from the Cooperative's approved budget and consists of:
RNRC first determines what an operating expense supports. Expenses are then placed into one of three categories and allocated according to the rules for that category.
Expenses that support RNRC generally and cannot reasonably be attributed to one particular site or individual member.
Each repeater site is treated as its own operating cost center. Members only participate in the costs of sites they elect to access.
Expenses incurred specifically for the benefit of, or at the request of, an individual member are allocated directly to that member.
Your total operating responsibility is the combination of your systemwide share, the cost shares for every site you elect to access, and any expenses directly attributable to you.
Systemwide expenses and site-specific expenses each have their own allocation calculation. RNRC does not divide total operating expenses equally between systemwide costs and site costs.
Systemwide expenses are shared by all active members. Half of the systemwide expense pool is divided equally among active members and half is allocated according to active subscriber radio count.
Each communications site has its own operating expenses and is calculated separately. Only members authorized to use a particular site participate in that site's operating expenses.
Members participate in the operating expenses of the sites they elect to access. If your talkgroups are not authorized on a particular site, you are not allocated a portion of that site's operating expenses. Cost responsibility is based on having access to the site, not how frequently you actually transmit through it.
Some expenses exist only because an individual member requests or uses a particular product, service, installation, or other resource.
Direct Member Expenses are allocated at 100% of the Cooperative's applicable cost to the member receiving the benefit unless the Board has separately established another rate.
This prevents the rest of the membership from subsidizing an expense that exists specifically for one member.
Some costs fall outside the normal annual operating allocation because they are specific to an individual member or involve capital investment in the network.
WAVE PTX subscriptions and other expenses incurred specifically for an individual member are generally charged to that member at the Cooperative's applicable cost unless another rate has been established.
Major equipment purchases, system expansion, and other capital requirements are not part of the ordinary operating expense allocation and are handled under separate Cooperative policies.
This calculator follows RNRC's operating expense allocation formula. Enter the number of radios you expect to use and select the sites you want to access to see how the allocation works.
Enter your expected radio count and select the sites you want your talkgroups authorized to use.
RNRC may collect estimated operating contributions during the year using the Cooperative's approved budget.
This gives members a predictable estimate based on what RNRC expects it will cost to operate the system during the billing period.
Following the billing period, RNRC may compare the operating contributions collected from each member with the Cooperative's actual operating expenses.
Any resulting overpayment or underpayment can then be charged or refunded to the member according to Cooperative policy.
RNRC can estimate your expected financial responsibility before your membership is finalized.
Your total cost may contain several separate components.
Tell us how many radios you expect to use and which parts of the network you need. RNRC can use the approved budget and cost-allocation formula to estimate your expected annual cost.