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Keith County commissioners to hold employee meeting after repeated complaints about IT vendor
Summary
County staff raised complaints that IT contractor '5 nines' charges substantial monthly fees yet leaves recurring problems unresolved; commissioners agreed to hold an employee meeting and to document issues for possible contract or RFP action.
County commissioners on Wednesday heard extended complaints from staff about the county—s IT contractor, referred to in the meeting as "5 nines," and agreed to convene an employee meeting so workers can air unresolved technical problems and service concerns.
An unnamed county employee told the board the contract has been costly and ineffective. "We're paying a lot of money, awful lot of money ... $10,000 a month," the employee said, adding that technicians often appear hurried and problems recur after service visits. The speaker described multiple problem areas, including courthouse systems, dispatch and the jail, and said some staff have experienced months-long failures on individual laptops.
Commissioners and staff discussed that the county is tied to a contract and that exit options needed review. "We're tied to a contract and we didn't know how to get out of it yet," one commissioner said, and the board requested documentation of failures so elected officials can assess whether to demand corrections, issue a formal corrective plan to the vendor, or pursue an RFP.
The board agreed to schedule an employee meeting to collect staff grievances and to invite the contractor or its representatives to attend, if feasible. Participants discussed a tentative date and a 9:00 a.m. meeting slot on the 20th to allow employees to speak without pressure. Commissioners said they may follow staff comments with an executive session if personnel or contractual matters require confidential discussion.
The board asked staff to arrange for the vendor to attend and to confirm courthouse space and logistics. County staff pledged to compile a list of recurring service failures and to contact the contractor immediately to request on-site presence on a coordinated date.
Next steps: the board will hold the employee meeting to document specific issues, receive the contractor's response if the vendor appears, and return to the board with either a corrective action recommendation or options for soliciting new bids.
