Spokane County commissioners authorized a contingent $75,000 allocation Nov. 10 to begin an evaluation of criminal‑justice IT systems, following discussion about whether to commission a detailed consultant study costing up to $250,000.

Budget and IT staff recommended a stepwise approach: reach out to statewide associations (WCAA, MRSC) and the National Center for State Courts for technical assistance, gather peer county examples and then, if needed, issue an RFP. Commissioners expressed concern about paying a large consultant fee before exhausting free or low‑cost technical assistance and agreed a $75,000 contingency would allow staff to conduct a targeted review and issue a narrower request for proposals if warranted.

Staff said the goal is to avoid purchasing a standalone system that creates downstream integration problems and added the evaluation would consider statutory and system constraints, including Odyssey and Aumentum compatibility. The contingency was placed in budget contingency and staff will report back with recommendations and any proposed RFP language.