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Commissioners weigh $350 monthly savings against $15,000 switch cost for sheriff phone lines
Summary
Alfalfa County commissioners discussed switching sheriff phone service to internet-based VOIP that could cut monthly costs from about $820 to $570, but staff warned the change might require up to $15,000 in one-time conversion work; commissioners asked staff to research options and report back.
Alfalfa County commissioners discussed whether to switch the sheriff's office phone service from the county's current lines to internet-based voice-over-IP, a change staff said could reduce the county's monthly bill from roughly $820 to about $570, a savings of approximately $350 per month. (Clerk/Staff member) said switching could require work on dispatch lines and warned commissioners a conversion might cost about $15,000.
Commissioners said two of the phone lines are used for dispatch and raised concerns about service continuity if the county moved fully to VOIP. One commissioner suggested keeping two lines as a backup in case internet service fails; another asked staff to investigate whether existing copper lines could be preserved or whether a phased conversion was possible.
No formal vote to switch was taken. Commissioners asked staff to research alternatives, potential one-time costs, and whether the switch could be done so dispatch reliability would not be compromised. The Board instructed staff to return with more information before any contract or vendor selection.
The discussion was part of routine agenda review; no dates for implementation were set.
