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Adams County IT staff seeks five-year copier lease amid debate over device count and budget impact
Summary
County IT said most printers share the same firmware lifecycle and must be replaced or leased on a five-year contract costing roughly $63,000 per year; commissioners pressed for fewer devices and clearer budget lines and directed staff to proceed with order planning while finalizing funding next month.
Adams County IT staff told commissioners the county must replace or lease most networked copiers and desktop printers under a five‑year agreement because firmware and certificates supporting the existing machines will expire later this year.
The discussion matters because the proposed lease would cost roughly $63,000 per year and commissioners said they want clearer accounting for where ongoing lease and consumption (paper/toner) charges should come from before committing to a multiyear contract.
IT staff said roughly 40 devices are on the current replacement cycle, with most machines on a single firmware lifecycle and several smaller desktop printers kept for low‑volume users. “It’s a 5 year contract. It’s gonna be around $63,000 a year or a little bit more,” IT staff said when introducing the issue. Staff explained toner and paper are the recurring “consumption” costs and that toner in these models can last years depending on usage.
Commissioners questioned whether the county needs about 40 printers for roughly 200 employees and pressed IT to try to reduce the number by consolidating to larger multifunction devices in offices. IT staff and commissioners raised operational concerns: some department heads say printers must remain in their offices for confidentiality and courtroom/court filing workflows; commissioners said they would be willing to help enforce reductions by joining IT staff in department visits. IT staff also noted the county can use Microsoft data‑loss prevention (DLP) tools to limit who sees sensitive output and to reduce security arguments used to justify one‑per‑workstation printing.
On funding, staff said the county currently budgets for consumption (paper/toner) but not the full lease cost in all affected line items. Commissioners recalled that earlier budget work put $30,000 toward the coming expense and that the county added $50,000 previously to the line when the issue was first forecast; staff said some costs previously were paid from other lines or by partner jurisdictions and that the accounting is fragmented for shared network clients. Commissioners and IT staff agreed the order should be placed to meet imminent firmware and certificate deadlines, but that the precise appropriation can be finalized next month: commissioners asked staff to start procurement steps and return with a firm appropriation request and proposed sources (copy machine usage line, other department lines, or a limited additional appropriation).
IT staff also flagged the wider technology timeline: Microsoft is issuing an update that will require newer hardware and updated operating systems by September, creating a parallel timeline for several desktop replacements. Commissioners said they wanted the county to pursue printing reductions and to bring a clear funding plan back to the board next month so the five‑year commitment is taken with full budget clarity.
The county did not take a formal vote on the copier lease at this meeting; commissioners said staff should proceed with ordering steps where necessary and return with appropriation details for formal approval at the next meeting.
