County's emergency operations center needs UPS replacement; county share roughly $17,000

Jason Ware, Brazos County emergency management coordinator, told the court the Community Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) houses county, City of Bryan, City of College Station and Texas A&M University operations and that the CEOC's uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is 15—20 years old. He requested replacement and said the total cost of the UPS replacement is about $68,000 to $69,000; because costs are split four ways the county's portion would be roughly $17,050. "The UPS itself is probably in the neighborhood of about 15 to 20 years old," Ware said, adding that the UPS provides the battery backup for critical IT systems during the gap between utility loss and generator start. "We really need those services activated" during emergency activations, he said. Ware said the UPS is a large, dedicated system that must be procured for the CEOC and cannot be purchased at a consumer store. The court discussed the shared-cost arrangement; no formal appropriation or vote was recorded in the workshop. County officials noted that the facility has generator backup but that the UPS is needed to cover the short transition gap between utility failure and generator power. Ware did not present a procurement timeline during the session but described the replacement as important for reliable emergency operations.