Stuart Wilson, director of Dubois County 911, told commissioners on Dec. 1 that maintenance contracts for UPS units that back up 911 call systems and the sheriff’s office are essential to avoid extended outages when primary power fails.

"The units were placed when the original build happened... They have performed flawlessly," Wilson said. He described how a UPS holds operations while a generator starts and explained that without the UPS, restoring all IT systems could take several minutes to 10 minutes — a significant interruption for emergency communications.

Wilson said he tried to secure competing bidders and ultimately negotiated with the manufacturer’s recommended vendor to reduce costs by roughly 20 percent and to waive an initial inspection fee. He requested county funding for both departments totaling about $7,019 ($3,509 per unit) and said the agreement should be signed once county council has approved the appropriation.

Commissioners discussed whether to accept the risk of deferring maintenance. Several members said the risk to 911 call delivery and jail access control weighed in favor of contracting for upkeep. The board moved to approve the maintenance agreement with the vendor (CM Buck), contingent on county council financial approval; motion carried by voice vote.

The county will return to finalize the signing once funding is secured through the council.