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Auditor’s office recommends replacing outdated Linx alarm with Threat Extinguisher system; commissioners approve
Summary
Auditor’s staff recommended replacing the building’s Linx emergency notification system with a Threat Extinguisher installation at a one‑time cost of $17,123.25 and an annual service cost of $1,250; commissioners approved the purchase, citing longer‑term savings and improved features.
Auditor’s office staff recommended replacing an aging Linx emergency notification system in the courthouse with a Threat Extinguisher installation; the Board of Commissioners approved the purchase at the meeting.
Officials said the current Linx system covers only the courthouse and costs about $3,000 per year; it has reliability problems with wireless panic buttons. Auditor’s staff reported a vendor quote of $17,123.25 for full hardware replacement and integration with the county’s access control and said annual charges would drop to $1,250. Those figures were presented as a cost‑saving measure over time: the staff estimate showed a roughly $1,758 annual saving versus the legacy contract, paying off the hardware in under 10 years.
Function and integration: The system vendor and county IT staff said Threat Extinguisher operates from a cloud platform, integrates with the county’s access control system (Schmidt), can send alerts to computers, TVs, texts and phone calls, and is designed to remain operational on backup internet and generator power. Auditor’s staff said the system is compatible with other buildings and could be extended to additional county facilities in the future if governance and state‑entity constraints allow.
Board action and rationale: Commissioners voted to approve the purchase after staff described reliability problems with the existing system and the integration benefits. Staff said local public‑safety stakeholders, including jail/dispatch contacts, reviewed the product and found its dispatch connectivity acceptable.
