DeSoto council approves $1.66 million advance to buy Tyler CAD/RMS; Cedar Hill, Duncanville to reimburse

DeSoto — The DeSoto City Council on Feb. 4 approved using $1,658,749 from the city’s general fund to purchase and implement a Tyler computer-aided dispatch and records management (CAD/RMS) system for the Southwest Regional Communication Center (SWRCC), with two neighboring cities set to reimburse DeSoto under a previously executed memorandum of understanding.

SWRCC Director Samara Bell told council the cities approved the arrangement in August and that the total loan would be “$1,658,749, amortized over [a] 5 year period at a rate of 5%.” She said the total interest for the financing is $256,897.08, for a combined principal-and-interest amount of $1,915,646.08.

City staff recommended DeSoto finance the purchase from its general fund after bank quotes received by the finance department were not favorable. Finance Director Tracy Cormier told council the first repayment would begin in fiscal year 2026 and noted payments would likely be made by June each year.

Why it matters: the CAD/RMS system is the platform SWRCC uses to receive, dispatch and record 911 and public-safety incidents for DeSoto and partner cities. Council members and staff discussed system redundancy, expected costs, repayment timing and the reimbursement arrangement with Cedar Hill and Duncanville before approving the financing.

Key details: council approved the request by motion; Councilman Byrd moved to approve and Council Member Rafael seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Samara Bell said the increased cost reflected vendor and connection services necessary to support a 24/7 dispatch model and the Tyler platform.

Questions from council members centered on redundancy and staffing. Bell said SWRCC has redundancy through fiber connections and an upgraded ESInet platform and that the added UNT/Dallas service level did not require immediate staff increases. Finance staff said DeSoto would carry the financing and be reimbursed by Cedar Hill and Duncanville per the MOU executed Dec. 16, 2024; council heard that DeSoto would finance roughly two-thirds of the total cost and be reimbursed for partner shares.

The council vote: the motion to authorize the expenditure and financing passed unanimously; the council used its voting pads for the recorded vote.

Next steps and implementation: staff indicated implementation steps are underway and that related schedules coordinated with partner cities and Tyler will follow. The council authorized the expenditure and the related reimbursements under the Dec. 16, 2024 memorandum of understanding.