Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board debates monitoring lapse, approves Convergent maintenance contract for fire‑alarm and clock system
Summary
After a months‑long monitoring lapse following a vendor transition, the Scobey K‑12 Schools board voted on a three‑year maintenance contract with Convergent for the district’s fire‑alarm, bell and clock system amid questions about cost, emergency service rates and a lower‑cost local option.
The Scobey K‑12 Schools Board of Trustees voted to enter a three‑year contract with Convergent for annual maintenance of the district’s fire‑alarm, bell and clock system after an extended discussion about monitoring failures and competing local options.
Superintendent Greg said the district experienced a monitoring lapse after ATS, the previous vendor, transitioned to Convergent. He told trustees a local contractor inspected the system and placed the annual sticker required by the fire marshal but that the district’s monitoring configuration was unclear: "We had alarms going off in our monitoring system in the office…somewhere in this whole process…Convergent's side is, well, whoever came and put that sticker on switched monitoring to him, so we had no idea anything was wrong with your system." Greg said Convergent later repaired bells and clocks and installed remote monitoring via Starlink.
Trustees heard that Jeremy, a local technician, offered monitoring for about $45 per month plus a $6.95 annual inspection, while Convergent quoted $4,950 per year for annual maintenance. Board members pressed for detail on what the higher fee covered, including whether routine repairs and on‑call emergency work were included or billed separately. One trustee asked whether the $4,950 covers maintenance beyond annual testing; another asked whether a one‑year contract was possible because of prior service gaps.
Committee member (S3) moved to enter the three‑year maintenance contract with Convergent at $4,950 per year; the motion was seconded and put to a voice vote. The transcript records the motion and subsequent voice responses; the board voted on the motion during the meeting.
The superintendent recommended Convergent because the company "installed it" and "knows their own product," while other trustees urged caution and suggested tabling the decision to seek a one‑year option or additional competitive quotes. The board agreed to revisit monitoring and service arrangements if problems recurred.
The board did not record a line‑by‑line service‑level agreement in the public discussion. Trustees directed staff to provide contract details and to explore whether a shorter term or alternative monitoring arrangement is feasible. The board set its next regular meeting for the second Tuesday (Nov. 10) at 5:30 p.m.
