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County IT faces aging imaging system and copper-line changes; dark fiber lease reduces costs
Summary
The Pine County technology committee reported the county’s imaging system is end of life and will need replacement; the county negotiated a dark fiber lease with Midco that will reduce recurring costs by about $9,800 and provides improved connections to outlying facilities.
Pine County’s technology committee reported the county’s document imaging system has reached end-of-life and will need replacement, and that the county faces broader telecom changes as copper phone lines are phased out.
A county commissioner noted the imaging system had been in place for roughly 19 years and said replacement estimates “feel like a quarter of a million bucks,” though one speaker estimated the cost at about $100,000–$135,000. County IT staff member Ryan described negotiations with Midco (which purchased SEI) to acquire dark fiber connecting county facilities rather than continuing a monthly leased circuit to the state. That change will reduce recurring costs and improve connectivity to remote facilities including the public workshop, the Hinkley cop shop and Sandstone.
The committee reported an estimated annual savings of about $9,800 from the new dark fiber arrangement. The county also discussed the legal and technical requirement that some elevators have a landline-connected telephone; IT staff said the phone system can be configured to meet that requirement even as copper lines are retired.
Committee members said the imaging-system replacement and server changes are necessary and that IT staff believe they can keep the IT budget flat by reprioritizing other deferred projects. Board members praised IT staff for finding cost savings while proceeding with required upgrades.
