Flathead County commissioners on May 9 ratified an Eaton UPS service contract that the county’s IT director authorized to avoid a lapse in coverage at the Flathead Emergency Communications Center (FECC).

IT Director Justin Miller said he authorized the service agreement when he learned the existing Eaton contract was about to expire and that a lapse could jeopardize the UPS units that support the server room and 9-1-1 operations. Miller said the contract provides parts and labor with a next-business-day response and that the total cost was $9,004.50. Miller notified county management and sought later ratification by the board.

A commissioner moved to ratify the IT director’s signature authorization; the board approved the action by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Miller said the expenditure was in the IT budget and that he had asked the vendor to re-evaluate another service contract to try to reduce costs further.

The transcript does not include the contract’s term length, renewal terms or whether the $9,004.50 is annual or a single-term cost; commissioners ratified Miller’s authority to sign the agreement so the service coverage would not lapse.