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Highway staff report repeated phone and internet outages; commissioners told upgrade will take months and require 2026 budget action
Summary
Highway Department staff told the Board of Commissioners that recurring phone and internet outages have blocked email, phone calls and invoice processing, prompting calls to pursue a multi-month phone-system replacement and better public outage communications.
At an Adams County Board of Commissioners meeting, Highway Department staff reported recurring internet and phone outages that have periodically left the highway office unable to send or receive email, take inbound phone calls or process invoices. The department said an extended outage began Wednesday, Aug. 6, and continued into the following day, and that shorter outages — from minutes to an hour — have occurred frequently during the summer.
The outages affected customer service and the department’s ability to process claims and access project files and permits, Highway Department staff said. Staff told commissioners that they relied on cell phones as a backup during active construction projects and that those arrangements prevented communication failures with contractors on several ongoing jobs.
“Loss of Internet, loss of phone,” Highway Department staff said, describing the problem. “We had an extended outage that started last Wednesday on August 6… we’re unable to send or receive phone calls, emails. We’re unable to process invoices.”
The department said staff have been documenting short interruptions and that public trust is at risk when residents cannot reach the office to report urgent road conditions. Highway staff praised county IT personnel for their responsiveness but urged the commissioners to take broader action.
Commissioners and staff discussed options for a more robust, countywide phone and voice failover strategy. County staff said a comprehensive replacement of the voice system would take months, require counsel review and likely be included in the 2026 budget cycle. “It would be months… it’s a pretty significant… financial decision. We gotta get counsel involved, and it’s gotta be a part of the 2026 budget,” Highway Department staff said.
Several commissioners said the outages underscored that communications infrastructure functions like roads and bridges and should be treated as essential county infrastructure. The board directed staff to continue investigating technical and policy fixes, and to bring cost and schedule options for a phone-system upgrade to the county’s 2026 budget process.
Officials also asked staff to explore ways to inform the public rapidly when outages occur, such as push notices through county apps or other channels, and to report back with estimates for interim failover measures.
Less-critical business at the meeting continued while staff pursue the diagnostic and procurement steps agreed on by the board.
