Commissioners approve automated dispatch vendor and multiple consent items

Ardo County commissioners at their March pre-agenda meeting agreed by consent to accept a vendor recommendation for the county's automated voice dispatch system and approved a set of routine items including an audit contract, a proclamation for Procurement Month, and the initial acceptance of an offer to sell 2.8 county-owned acres on Hickory Highway.

The automated voice dispatch recommendation was presented by Duncan Dunham, identified in the meeting as the county 9-1-1 IT support specialist and the automated dispatch committee lead. Dunham told commissioners the project went through a request-for-proposal process and asked them to approve U.S. Digital Design as the selected vendor. He said the system is intended to standardize initial alerting to fire, EMS and rescue stations and to reduce dispatcher stress by automating the initial paging step while not replacing dispatchers' continuing responsibilities to prioritize calls and assign tactical channels. "Before you today is the automated voice dispatch recommendation for your approval to accept the selected vendor," Dunham said.

Dunham said the project was included in the capital improvement plan, that a portion of funding would come from 9-1-1 funds pending the local 9-1-1 board's decision, and that the total immediate contract cost as presented was approximately $140,954.11. He also said additional expansion to add remote fire, EMS and rescue station equipment as funding becomes available would cost roughly $1,700,000. The presentation stated an annual recurring cost of about $2,200. The board approved the vendor by consent.

Separately, the board approved an audit contract with Martin Starnes & Associates, CPAs, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Finance staff said the contract price will not exceed $133,450 if the county must test 11 federal or state programs, and that the county typically solicits proposals for external audit services every few years.

Also approved by consent was a proclamation designating March 2025 as Procurement Month to recognize the county purchasing division and to promote procurement best practices.

On a land matter added to the administrative agenda, staff advised the board it had received an initial written offer at tax value from a neighboring resident for the county-owned 2.8-acre parcel on Hickory Highway. The manager described the typical process: accept the initial offer and advertise for upset bids. The board indicated consent to begin that process.

All of the above items were taken on the board's consent agenda; no separate roll-call tallies were read into the record.

Ending: Staff said they will return detailed contract documents and the formal upset-bid advertisement to commissioners as required before any final sale or contract signatures.