Dimmit County approves managed IT contract after finding servers lacked backups

Dimmit County Commissioners on Thursday approved a month-to-month managed IT services agreement to restore server backups after staff said the county’s servers had gone without backup service for months.

Judge and IT staff told the court that the county had stopped paying the previous vendor and that “none of our servers are being backed up,” a county IT representative said during the discussion. The newly presented monthly quote was $1,427.90, which staff said reflected a revised price the vendor submitted the morning of the meeting.

Why it matters: county IT backups are a basic element of business continuity and records preservation. Commissioners said they have pressed for a reliable backup solution for more than six months and debated oversight and accountability for any new contractor.

What the court decided: Commissioner Juan moved to approve the managed IT services contract on a month-to-month basis with an understanding staff would monitor vendor performance and seek competitive alternatives if necessary. The motion passed by voice vote; one commissioner recorded an opposition. The court instructed staff to confirm the monthly payment amount and to ensure the account would have appropriate supervision.

Details and context: IT staff said the previous contract lapsed in September or October and that the county had not had regular backups since. Commissioners discussed that earlier arrangements lacked clear supervision and asked that the new vendor be accountable to a named staff supervisor and that multiple people be able to manage the account.

Next steps: Staff will finalize the vendor contract at the $1,427.90 monthly rate reported to the court, place the service under county supervision, and return to the commissioners if material problems or a longer-term procurement are required.