Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Telecom Migration Cvec topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Seminole council approves hosted phone service with Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative after council questions; one abstention
Summary
Council approved a service agreement to move city facilities to a hosted phone solution with Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative at $1,695 per month; the item drew extended technical questions, an abstention from Councilmember Corey Crabtree, and assurances staff will terminate the prior provider without early-termination charges.
The Seminole City Council voted to approve a hosted phone service agreement with Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC) for city facilities at a cost of $1,695 per month.
City IT staff member Sean explained the change was intended to simplify the city’s multi-vendor phone network and avoid long-term risk from aging hardware. “If our PBX, our server basically, server goes down, there's not a lot of options to replace that,” Sean said, describing the current NEC-based hardware as nearing end-of-life. He told the council the new CVEC arrangement consolidates Internet and telephony paths and will reduce what the city pays monthly; he said the city’s current combined monthly spending was roughly $5,846 (noting that number excluded some sites) and that the proposed arrangement was a cost-saving measure overall.
The council sought clarity on transition costs and vendor relationships. When asked whether the city would face termination or early-withdrawal charges from the current provider, a staff member replied bluntly: “No. We're gonna terminate at the same time.” The discussion also addressed the need to carry cameras and other critical services across the new network.
Nut graf: after technical questions and a review of cost-savings and operational risk, the council approved the CVEC-hosted phone solution; Councilmember Corey Crabtree abstained from the roll-call vote and the motion passed.
On the vote, Councilmember Corey Crabtree recorded an abstention; Councilmembers Trace Connor, Eddie Foreman, Dana Miller and John Kramer voted yes and the motion passed. Staff said they will coordinate termination of the city's existing provider and implement the CVEC service and associated equipment procurement.
Ending: Council also approved a separate budgeted capital purchase of telephone equipment tied to the phone upgrade at a later item on the agenda. City staff said they will work to avoid service interruptions during the transition.
