Jeremy Stevens of Information Services asked the board for authorization to proceed with a county network upgrade covering five new fiber runs to multiple west-side facilities — the Emergency Management Agency (EMA), radio tower, highway administration center, highway garage, work release, the county jail complex (CJC) and Kinsey Center. Stevens said the vendor estimate for the one-time purchase is $47,993, that the upgrade will convert several 1-gig links to 10-gig, and that the county owns the fiber with no recurring cost.

Stevens described increased bandwidth needs from IP-based security cameras, VoIP phones, card-access systems and videoconferencing, and said the upgrade would have a minimum expected lifespan of about 20 years. He told commissioners the critical public-safety radio/dispatched voice link would remain on a dedicated 1-gig line to avoid interruptions; the fiber upgrade would serve other county data traffic.

A motion to authorize the project was moved and seconded and carried. Stevens said the work should be completed by year-end per vendor estimates.