Stillwater utilities approve new outage-management system covering electric and water

The Stillwater Utilities Authority on Sept. 8 approved a contract to replace the authority’s outage-management system, authorizing a $405,315.50 agreement with Data Voice International Inc. and funding from both electric and water accounts.

Lauren Smith, electric utility director, told trustees the authority first installed an outage-management system in 2012 and “the current system has become antiquated and is using multiple vendors to provide critical needs, which has become problematic, making the system less reliable.” She said the new system will support both electric and water operations, give leaders a web-based outage map and reporting, and offer features such as interactive voice response, two‑way texting and self‑dispatching of crews.

The contract approved by trustees authorizes expenditures from the electric rate stabilization fund up to $228,004 and from the capital water fund up to $217,844; the staff recommendation and the motion included contingencies for both funds. The staff memorandum presented at the meeting said the authority released a request for proposals on March 1, received six responses, and selected Data Voice International Inc. after evaluation and interviews. Staff estimated implementation would take about three to four months.

Trustees asked about longevity and recurring costs. Smith said the chosen vendor “has been around for quite some time” and provides ongoing upgrades and 24‑hour customer support. A trustee asked whether the vendor’s annual renewal fee had a history of increases; staff replied they did not have a trend available.

The motion to approve the staff recommendation passed by a 4–0 vote.

The contract includes initial implementation and an annual recurring fee; the motion referenced an approximate annual cost of about $98,000 and noted the annual fee can be adjusted per the agreement language. Specific future-year cost increases were not specified in the meeting record.