Rutherford County approves Southern Software contract to replace aging public-safety system
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Summary
The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners approved a multi-year contract with Southern Software to replace the county's current public-safety records and dispatch system. County staff said the move will reduce server complexity and cut annual maintenance costs, and the contract includes a public-facing module called Citizen Connect.
The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a multi-year contract with Southern Software to replace the county’s existing public-safety software environment and consolidate several functions used by dispatch, records, the jail and other agencies.
County technology and public-safety staff told commissioners the county’s current system, supplied by Central Square (formerly TriTech), required many separate servers and had performance problems. “Right now Central Square ... consists of 27 servers all needing to talk to each other,” Jay Naug said while presenting the proposal, adding of the Southern Software implementation: “Please ask me how many Southern software it's gonna use. How many? 2 servers.”
The county manager and public-safety presenters said the replacement will include a cloud-based public portal called Citizen Connect that can let residents look up non-confidential crime data, sex-offender locations and other public records. During public comment earlier in the meeting, journalist Annie Dance urged commissioners to disclose the contract’s public cost and to confirm whether Citizen Connect would be implemented with the county purchase.
Finance staff said the county will pay the initial purchase price from funds banked over recent years by IT and with eligible E911 funds; staff estimated annual maintenance and subscription costs for Southern Software at about $99,000–$100,000. By comparison, staff said the county currently pays about $190,000 per year for Central Square. “We’re currently paying a $190,000 a year for Central Square. So we’re looking at a $90,000 savings every year going forward,” Jay Naug said.
Staff described a phased implementation that will require vendor training and configuration. County staff estimated a full rollout of all modules could take roughly eight to ten months; the presenters also said the county plans to target a formal go-live date of July 1, 2026. The board’s motion authorized the county manager and county attorney to negotiate final contract terms and authorized county officials to execute documents supporting the action.
Commissioners and staff described additional optional modules under consideration, including an emergency-management platform called IC Aware for tracking people, equipment and personnel during disasters. Emergency-management staff said that module would provide real-time location tracking from personnel phones and improved shelter and FEMA documentation functionality.
The board voted to approve the contract after a second and a public call for the question; the roll call recorded the motion as carried. Commissioners said they expect the vendor to provide training and to return to the board with final implementation milestones as the project proceeds.
