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Story County IT director outlines phone, equipment and e-waste projects and AS/400 replacement plan
Summary
IT Director Joe Wakeham reported on a quarter of work including conversion to eFax, workstation replacements, a phone system replacement kickoff, internet upgrades at conservation sites, a new e-waste recycler partnership in Urbandale and planning for AS/400 replacement.
Joe Wakeham, Story County IT director, gave the board a quarterly technology briefing on June 10, 2025, describing multiple county IT projects and operational changes. Wakeham said the county converted traditional fax lines to an eFax service, completed most spring workstation replacements, began planning a Teams phone-system replacement, upgraded internet at the conservation complex and Hickory Grove Park, and replaced major recording equipment that supports jail security cameras. "We've converted the county fax lines to an eFax service," Wakeham said, and he reported the change has saved money while improving service.
Wakeham also described a new partnership with Electronic Asset Recovery of Urbandale for responsible e-waste recycling and secure hard-drive destruction; he said "there's no cost for the recycling" and that the county pays a small fee for data-destruction/shredding when needed. The company provides certificates of destruction for hard drives and coordinates pickups when enough material is available across jurisdictions to fill a truck.
On public-safety communications, Wakeham said the county is planning to reduce single points of failure in the dispatch nonemergency phone lines and increase failover capability with a configuration similar to AIMS, which already upgraded its infrastructure. He said 9-1-1 lines already have failover capability and the planned change would let nonemergency lines fail over with a single phone call. Wakeham also said the county's AS/400 system that currently supports payroll and accounts payable is reaching end of life; the county has budgeted for a replacement in the next fiscal year at roughly double the prior cost, and staff are starting the planning and vendor outreach process.
Supervisors asked clarifying questions about Teams room setups, e-waste costs and timelines; Wakeham said Teams rooms use a mounted audio/video bar and a table tablet for easier join-in and that the county will explore whether the recycler can support individual drop-offs or partner with existing recycling events. No formal action was required on the IT report; it was provided for the board's information.
