County to switch phone providers

Proposal could cut costs in half

A proposal to switch the county’s phone service from AT&T to ProTelesis was approved by Shackelford County commissioners during a regular meetingMondaymorning.

Zac Fitzgerald of CTSI, the county’s IT consultant, actually presented the phone migration option on behalf of ProTelesis, stating that the company is a CTSI partner and has been easy to work with in a couple of other projects.

Fitzgerald said that the estimated monthly cost for ProTelesis service is about $605 for “high usage,” compared with AT&T’s monthly cost of $1,100 to $1,500.

“We (CTSI) will still support your phone lines, but this would give us someone to call if there is a problem,” Fitzgerald said. “You can stay with AT&T if that’s what you decide, but I think the cost can be cut in half, and I know that your ultimate goal is to reduce costs.”

The county recently changed internet service from AT&T to FiberLight, anticipating that the cost will be cut in half while at the same time improving the speed.

Cody Jordan voiced a motion to accept the proposal from CTSI to move from AT&T to ProTelesis, and the three commissioners in attendance voted in favor.

Fitzgerald will obtain a true quote from ProTelesis, and county judge John Viertel said that a survey will be completed to find out which of the existing 224 county phone lines need to be retained.

Other Business

•An interlocal agreement between the City of Moran and Shackelford County was renewed.

•Permission was given to the Albany Lions Club to place a small vending machine on the first floor on the Courthouse as a fundraising project.

•Sheriff Ed Miller gave details about the incident two weeks ago that damaged two sheriff’s department vehicles and sent the suspect to the hospital.

•A resolution about Soil & Water Stewardship Week April 28-May 5 will be placed on the April 22 agenda for approval.