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Commissioners discuss county radio upgrade, Toshiba copier complaints, grant rules and IT vendor transition
Summary
County commissioners heard updates Feb. 6 on the county's radio replacement project, copier service complaints involving Toshiba, an urgent IT‑support transition and a Comcast request for a grant‑support letter; they directed staff to revise the grant‑application rules, schedule a department‑head meeting with Toshiba and issue a short IT scope of work.
Commissioners on Feb. 6 received updates and gave direction on several technology and communications items: the county's radio system buildout, outstanding copier/contract complaints involving Toshiba, needed updates to the county's grant‑application ordinance, incoming vendor lead times for radio equipment and an immediate plan to solicit new information technology support proposals after the county's current vendor announced a near‑term exit.
Radio project and subscriber units
The county's radio coordinator reported the vendor has begun ordering backbone equipment but that the budgeted $150,000 for subscriber radios (handhelds, mobiles and base stations) will not cover the number of radios departments need. He said he is actively seeking grant funds to cover extra units and that repeaters the county needs have an eight‑month lead time, which could push completion beyond the June/July timetable previously cited; the county has ARPA funds tied to some of the project and must track federal deadlines.
Toshiba/copier vendor meeting
Representatives from Toshiba explained their state‑vendor relationship and said many service issues stem from gaps in communication between department users and the vendor's service line. Toshiba representatives urged department heads to report copier problems and said Toshiba's equipment overwrites data on internal hard drives per security specifications; they offered to meet in a department‑head forum to review contracting scope and per‑machine capabilities.
Commissioners directed a mandatory department‑head meeting (to be scheduled within two weeks) with Toshiba and with county IT so staff can air service complaints and clarify contract terms. The board also asked the county attorney to update the county's grant‑application ordinance: current language requires prior approval for grant applications, and staff said that rule slows competitive grant opportunities.
IT vendor transition and scope of work
The board announced Fourth Phase (county IT contractor) had signaled a change in service. The county attorney and commissioners said they will distribute a written scope of work for short‑term county IT services and accept responses, with a two‑week turnaround, because the county needs continuity of service; the board said any new agreement will not exceed one year while the county tests providers and seeks a long‑term solution.
Comcast broadband request
A Comcast representative asked the commissioners to sign a single county support letter for a federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD/BED) grant application that would bring fiber to about 850 service locations in the southeast corner of the county as part of a larger multi‑county project. Commissioners asked the county attorney to review the letter and the deadline (Feb. 12) before signing; they did not sign the letter that day. Comcast said the round‑one award window guarantees fiber and that later rounds might offer only non‑fiber options.
Why it matters
The radio system upgrade affects emergency communications countywide; copier contracts and grant rules affect day‑to‑day productivity and department ability to access outside funding. The IT vendor transition creates an immediate need for an interim service plan to maintain county servers, desktops and public services.
Next steps
- County attorney to review the Comcast support letter and return findings to commissioners promptly, given the Feb. 12 grant deadline. - County attorney and staff to update the county's grant‑application ordinance to allow more timely approvals for grant applications while preserving oversight. - Schedule a mandatory department‑head meeting within two weeks with Toshiba and IT to catalog copier/contract issues and determine contract compliance and remedies. - Issue a short, one‑year scope‑of‑work solicitation for IT support and accept responses within two weeks to maintain continuity while the county evaluates longer‑term options.
Ending
Commissioners said they will pursue grant funding for the radio project, revise internal grant approval rules, press Toshiba to clarify service scope and issue a time‑limited IT service RFP to avoid a lapse in county systems support.
