On Oct. 2, the Christian County Commission voted to approve a three-year internet services agreement with Liberty to replace SpringNet as the county’s primary last-mile provider and to formalize use of Liberty-owned fiber connections the county has used informally for years.

County staff told commissioners the change will consolidate six separate circuits into one larger circuit for the county campus and other county buildings, formalize payment for Liberty equipment that has been in use “on a handshake basis,” and is expected to lower monthly recurring costs while increasing capacity. “For several years, Christian County has utilized SpringNet for their Internet services. And SpringNet has always used Liberty and the last mile,” said Kim, county staff, reporting the procurement background. County leaders said the contract term is three years with options to renew.

The move matters because it shifts the county to a local provider and aims to reduce ongoing internet costs while improving redundancy and speed. Presiding Commissioner Lynn Horton praised the in-house IT staff and framed the contract as both a cost-saving and infrastructure-improving step for county operations. “This county, out of 114 counties, has probably one of the best IT departments in the entire state,” Horton said.

According to staff, the consolidation is expected to reduce one set of campus circuit costs from about $6,700 a month to about $3,100 a month; backup circuits now under contract are expected to drop from roughly $2,700 a month to between $700 and $1,000 a month when the county completes its consolidation. Staff said the county has three existing contracts with SpringNet tied to fiber assets; Liberty will be brought in as those contracts expire (staff noted staggered contract expirations of roughly 61 to 100 days for the affected circuits). The contract will also formalize payment for dark fiber and other equipment Liberty has allowed the county to use without a written agreement in prior years.

County IT staff (identified in the meeting as Bill, Mitch and John) described the technical approach as replacing several smaller circuits with a single larger, faster circuit and maintaining redundancy. Kim said the county had coordinated with the local building project team (Care ATC and Liberty) to bring circuits into a new facility and that some fibers are already installed there. The county will order and “turn up” circuits when needed; staff estimated a circuit could be activated within a couple of weeks after ordering.

The commission voted unanimously to approve the internet services agreement; Presiding Commissioner Lynn Horton moved to approve the agreement and the motion received a second. Commissioners Johnny Williams and Bradley Jackson voted in favor. The commission recessed to closed session after the vote and planned to address zoning cases later in the morning.

The approval formalizes service the county has used informally for years, consolidates multiple connections for cost and redundancy purposes, and commits the county to a three-year term with renewal options.