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Commissioners weigh AT&T consolidation, approve Starlink backup for sheriff and mobile command
Summary
The court discussed consolidating county internet service via an AT&T contract for multiple sites and debated direct‑line reliability and price; commissioners approved Starlink satellite service for a mobile command trailer as a backup and asked staff for more information on AT&T pricing and contract terms.
County staff briefed commissioners on negotiations with AT&T to consolidate several county sites (sheriff's office, annex, historic courthouse and others) into a contract that could provide direct lines and higher reliability but increase monthly cost. Commissioners asked for a detailed cost breakdown, a comparison to current monthly spending and for an AT&T representative to present before the court takes final action.
IT staff and the sheriff discussed adding a secondary internet connection for the sheriff's office to improve resiliency. The sheriff and staff proposed Starlink satellite service as a portable/backup option for the mobile command trailer and as a failover for the sheriff's primary connection. Commissioners questioned whether the county would pay continuously or activate satellite service only during emergencies and discussed combining circuits to improve speeds.
The court approved Starlink for the mobile command trailer and agreed staff should return with more detailed pricing, contract language and a proposal that includes the Petrie building, the recreation center and commissioners' offices before finalizing any consolidation with AT&T. "If there's a direct connection and it's gonna increase the speed and increase the service, then we might not necessarily need higher speeds," a commissioner said, urging the staff to present comparative cost and performance information.
