Commissioners approve dark-fiber joint service agreement and add time-clock policy to employee handbook

Warren County commissioners voted to enter joint service agreements that will start the county’s move to dark fiber connectivity, with the jail identified as the initial hub for 1,000 total minutes of capacity. At the meeting, Chair (S1) moved to enter the service agreement “to start hooking up the county to dark fiber,” and a colleague seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote.

Commissioners discussed technical details and monthly charges tied to initial phone/PRI service as sites are activated; staff said the five-year contract starts as facilities are lit and that monthly charges will begin when individual lines are turned on. One commissioner asked whether all county offices will be on the same plan; staff said the initial agreements cover three pilot sites (jail, EMA, health department) and that additional sites will be added later.

Separately, the board unanimously approved a resolution (identified in the meeting packet as resolution 826-04208) to amend the county employee handbook by adding a time-clock policy. Staff explained the change is primarily an internal control required by the State Board of Accounts: “It is required by State Court of accounts to keep these records,” staff (S5) said. Commissioners asked about on-call and after-hours duties and were told the policy will include options (mobile clock-in tools, physical clocks, or agreed time-blocks) and that sheriff-department payroll will be handled per existing separate policies.

What’s next: IT and relevant departments will coordinate line activations and finalize monthly billing profiles; HR/staff will draft the detailed time-clock procedures and bring them into the handbook implementation process.