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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~_ <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: May 4, 1999 <br />SUBJECT: Telephone system upgrades <br />DEPARTMENT: PURCHASING AND Public Hearing: Yes: No: <br />CENTRAL SERVICES Budget Amendment Reqd? Yes No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />PAM JONES, ext. 2650 <br />Telephone Number- <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 967-9251 <br />Mebane 227-2031 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Purpose: To consider improvements to the County's telephone system in order to <br />achieve Y2K compliance; and to provide a higher level of service to -the public by <br />allowing them the option to dial directly to a department without routing through the <br />automated attendant. <br />Background: The County installed the present telephone system in the spring 1990. <br />The system has operated without upgrades since that time. During. the Y2K inventory <br />process, it came to our attention that the software version presently operating our <br />telephone system will not operate after December 31, 1999. The cost of the upgrade to <br />mitigate this problem is $82,684. <br />A way we would recommend addressing this cost is through existing funds in the Central <br />Services budget. Insurance and worker's compensation premiums are budgeted based <br />on projections of historical cost and projected salary increases each year. Last year, the <br />escalation in insurance costs was not as high as expected and the County <br />Commissioners Association awarded a larger discount that was anticipated. These <br />factors contribute to our good fortune of unspent funds in these two line items. We <br />recommend using these funds to support this one time cost to upgrade the telephone <br />system. <br />Assuming the Board's approval of this upgrade during the May 4, 1999 meeting, the <br />telephone system upgrade will be ordered and installed as quickly as practicable. Sprint <br />has advised us that as the months advance closer to December 31, 1999 more and <br />more customers will call for upgrade service, thereby potentially creating a backlog in <br />Sprint's ability to install software immediately after the order. We have been advised <br />