County, emergency center may share IT cost

Quay County’s manager last week suggested a cost-sharing arrangement for information technology services with the regional emergency communications center.

The Tucumcari/Quay Regional Emergency Communications board heard a proposal from Park Place Technologies of Cleveland, Ohio, to provide IT services to the county for $55,000 a year, plus a one-time $4,000 onboarding fee.

Plateau Telecommunications provides IT service to both the county and emergency dispatch center. Plateau is phasing out that service in the coming years.

After Park Place’s presentation, county manager Daniel Zamora suggested an even split of IT costs between the county and emergency dispatch, though he said he was “open to negotiation” on a different proportion.

Jamie Luaders, director of emergency dispatch, said it has budgeted $15,000 a year for IT.

Zamora said the county spends about $80,000 a year with Plateau, but that also includes telephone and internet service.

He said he could provide a rough breakdown of Plateau’s fees for IT, though that varies monthly because the county sometimes goes over its allotment of customer-service hours at an extra cost.

Zamora said he also is considering hiring a local contractor, Henry Martinez, to provide cybersecurity to the county.

The emergency communications board wasn’t set to hold another meeting until August, but members said they were open to scheduling a special meeting in July to take action on an IT proposal.

Zamora said computer server issues at the county and the 911 center have become acute.

A Park Place official said the county treasurer’s office lost about $90,000 in revenue because compatibility problems with its Tyler Technologies software prevented it from printing reports.

Tucumcari city manager Paula Chacon also said at the meeting she might be interested in a cost-share arrangement with Park Place. She said Plateau is contracted to provide IT service for the city through 2026.

Park Place has been in the IT business for more than a decade, with more than 21,000 customers worldwide.

In other business, Zamora said the county may use capital outlay funds to improve radio repeater equipment at Ragland, Porter, House and Tucumcari Mountain.

He said he’s considering improving radio communications in southern San Miguel and Harding counties, which the 911 center also serves.