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Police Jury approves AT&T text‑to‑911 service agreement with one‑time and monthly costs
Summary
DeSoto Parish jurors authorized a service agreement to enable text‑to‑911, with a one‑time nonrecurring cost of $8,772.50 and recurring billing of $643.58 per month (five‑year total ≈ $38,006.14); payments will begin only when service is available to the public.
The DeSoto Parish Police Jury authorized the 9‑1‑1 director to sign a service agreement with AT&T to enable text‑to‑911 capability, citing state legislative requirements for jurisdictions to accept text messages in emergency calls.
A 9‑1‑1 staff presenter said the parish already has most equipment in place and needs a final component covered by the service agreement. The presenter summarized the costs as a one‑time nonrecurring charge of $8,772.50 and an ongoing fee of $643.58 per month; over a five‑year service agreement, the presenter said the total would be about $38,006.14. "That's a one time cost which we budgeted for," the presenter said, adding that payment will start only after the public can send text messages to 9‑1‑1 and vendors have been notified.
Officials emphasized that the county will run a public education campaign and notify service providers several months before enabling text‑to‑911. Jurors asked clarifying questions about the figures and were told the one‑time cost covers switches and recorder licenses necessary for implementation. The motion to authorize the service agreement carried.
Next steps: staff will notify vendors, implement the final component, and run a public education campaign before the service becomes active.
