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Finance committee recommends renewing Firstcomm VoIP contract
Summary
At its May 4 meeting the Finance Committee voted to recommend that City Council pursue a renewal of the city's VoIP contract with Firstcomm, citing continued cost savings and satisfactory service; City Council will consider the recommendation later the same day.
The Finance Committee voted May 4 to recommend that the City Council pursue a renewal of the city's Voice-over-IP contract with Firstcomm, citing cost savings and steady service.
A staff member told the committee that the city switched from traditional POTS lines to a Firstcomm VoIP system in 2022 and that the change "saved us quite a bit of money." The staff member said the proposed renewal would cost the city "a little bit less over the terms of the contract" than the prior arrangement and that Firstcomm has provided "good service." The staff member added the renewal will be placed before City Council later that day.
The committee discussed alternatives. One committee member asked what other options exist besides VoIP; staff and other participants noted some organizations use computer-based calling apps such as Zoom, but that approach requires devices to be powered and available, and VoIP remains the most practical option for city operations. No cost figures or contract lengths were specified during the discussion.
Alderman Stout moved "to recommend to Council that we pursue this, to continue the contract." The motion was supported by the committee by voice vote and the committee provided direction to forward the recommendation to City Council for consideration.
The meeting also included brief staff announcements: a finance department staff member said the new finance director, Brandy, will start next Monday, and that a cake-and-coffee event will be held Tuesday the 12th to honor outgoing finance director Nikki Giles for 20 years of service.
The committee adjourned after approving the recommendation and the personnel announcements. City Council will consider the Firstcomm renewal at its meeting later the same day.
