County tests Soma dispatch system; IT and sheriff keep Central Square as plan B

Johnson County officials said July 14 they have scheduled a stress test of the Soma emergency dispatch system and are pursuing a cloud‑based plan B with Central Square in case the Soma system cannot support the county’s multi‑agency 9‑1‑1 operations.

The county’s IT staff and the sheriff’s office described a timeline of short‑term testing and negotiations. IT staff told the court they expected a stress test to begin the day after the meeting and a Central Square representative to meet with county staff the following day to discuss a “one‑solution” cloud alternative. County staff said the Central Square cloud option is priced within a range that the county considers manageable and that it would provide redundancy if Soma cannot meet performance expectations.

Sheriff’s office leaders urged caution: they said earlier rollouts of the same Soma product experienced performance collapse as more agencies were added, and that a full “go‑live” must be delayed until the software can support all participating agencies reliably. The sheriff and IT staff said they will run an extensive stress test with agencies and local police and fire partners to evaluate scalability and reliability before any final acceptance or milestone payment.

County officials told the court they will not release final acceptance payments until the system performs reliably in live operation with all users. The court’s stated priority is to keep dispatch services operational; officials said staff will continue parallel planning with Central Square so the county can migrate quickly if Soma remains unsuitable.

No final procurement decision was made at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to continue aggressive testing and to return with a clear recommendation and a negotiated contract from Central Square should Soma fail to meet the county’s requirements.