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Pipestone County approves new phone system contract, staff say it will lower per‑line costs
Summary
The board approved moving county telephony from the state arrangement to a new Cinch contract (handsets referenced as Yealink), which staff said would reduce line costs by roughly $3 and will have a monthly per‑line fee estimated near $22; commissioners raised reliability and internet‑dependency questions.
County staff told the board that the state is reducing direct telephone services and proposed that Pipestone County adopt a new managed phone system through Cinch, which would use Yealink handsets and offer features such as voicemail, forwarding and soft‑client options.
Staff said the county has been with the state's dial‑tone provider for about 10–11 years and that the new arrangement would remove a separate state license fee; the county estimated a cost saving of roughly $3 per line compared with the state arrangement and discussed a monthly per‑line fee of about $22. Commissioners expressed concerns about dependency on internet connectivity and service reliability, noting interruptions at local hospitals that staff said had not significantly affected county operations.
A motion to proceed with the Cinch contract (referenced in the meeting packet as “23 by 2946” during discussion) was made, seconded and carried. Staff said hardware procurement and handset replacement for desk stations are planned and that training will be provided to users.
The board recorded approval of the contract authorization; the transcript did not include a detailed roll call or final contract signature date in the excerpted record provided to the board.
