County set to get new phone system in 2017

County set to get new phone system in 2017

Upgrade comes with hefty price tag but will ultimately save thousands

news@theeveningtimes.com

Crittenden County will be getting a new phone system in 2017, which will end up saving the county over $3,000 a month on phone service.

The Quorum Court approved spending $78,000 for a ShoreTel system through AT& T and $124,000 that will be required to rewire the courthouse, circuit court judge’s office, and county office building.

“Once we get this in it is going to be really good for the county,” said Judge Woody Wheeless.

ShoreTel is an IP Voice Over office phone integration system that provides basic call features such as call blocking, caller ID, call transfers, voicemail, phone alerts for missed calls, video conferencing, chat, and customized voice mail recordings.

The service is provided over a single Internet connection and can also be accessed remotely from any computer, landline or mobile device. The county is currently paying $4,400 a month for phone service.

Wheeless said the county will finance the $78,000 cost over five years and even with the financing will see its phone costs drop $1,653 a month to $2,747 a month — or $19,800 a year.

Once the system is paid off, the payment will drop to $1,221 a month for phone service.

“That’s huge,” Wheeless said. “We’ll be saving over $1,600 a month even with that payment in there.”

The phone system is the same one currently being installed at the Sheriff’s Department.

The county spent $46,600 for new phones at the Sheriff’s Department which will lower the monthly phone bill from $4,851 a month to $3,510 a month. Wheeless said the county will need to completely rewire the courthouse to accommodate the new phone system.

“We’re going to have to remove all of that old wiring,” Wheeless said.

The county will also save an additional $7,000 on the ShoreTel system by ordering before Jan. 1.

“I’m grateful for the Quorum Court for this,” Wheeless said. “This was something we needed to look at.”

By Mark Randall