Hampshire County commissioners directed staff to study alternatives after department heads reported repeated telephone interruptions at the courthouse and other county offices. Clerk Scribe reported ongoing problems in which callers cannot hear courthouse staff or vice versa and said the interruptions have persisted despite tickets to the current provider.
“We have been dealing with interruptions to service, within the courthouse complex and even beyond … Phone rings, pick it up, people can't hear you. Or vice versa, you call out, and they can't hear you,” Clerk Scribe said. Department heads asked the commission to explore alternatives and the commission assigned a committee to begin that work.
Why it matters: reliable telecoms are central to routine government operations and emergency response. Commissioners noted the inquiry could include a county fiber connection from the 911 center to Romney to provide redundant communications and enable countywide VoIP service.
Commissioner David Mance said a countywide expense review for fiscal year 2024 identified telecommunications as one of the larger, consolidatable costs: “One of the things that came out on the top of that list … was telecommunication services across a bunch of our different departments and buildings.” County staff said a fiber link from the 911 center down to Romney would allow redundant connectivity and support VoIP across county facilities, improving resilience in emergencies.
The commission did not select a vendor at the Sept. 23 meeting. Instead it confirmed a committee composed of county staff and department heads will gather options, cost estimates, and technical recommendations for future action. County officials said they will return with estimates and vendor proposals before any contract decision is made.
Background: County officials reported multiple, intermittent outages that department heads have been unable to resolve with the current provider. The proposed work includes technical evaluation of VoIP, service consolidation opportunities, and the cost and feasibility of fiber buildout to connect county facilities.