The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published September 26, 2018

Upgraded telephone system in the works for OB

OSAGE BEACH – The city is moving forward with an upgrade to their telephone systems, since, as City Administrator Jeana Woods says, “Our phone system is at its end of life.”

The proposal, which had its first reading approved last week, would be to purchase the equipment from Mitel for $15,196.97.

“This is a Cooperative Bid Purchase using a contract that was originally administered by NJPA on behalf of the State of Montana, the State of South Carolina, the State of Nevada, the State of Washington and many other governmental entities,” said Assistant City Administrator Mike Welty in his report to the Board of Aldermen.

The breakdown of the cost is:

• Mitel:$ 3,305.00
• TCS: $11,891.97

TCS is the local vendor that Mitel uses for installation in Central Missouri, according to Welty.

The price is for the purchase, installation, and setup of all the software and hardware for the Voice Over Internet Protocal (VoIP) phone system.

The change does not affect the city’s 911 service as that is a separate phone system but the 911 service company, West, will have to make some changes for the new city system to integrate into the 911 system.

“West, the provider of our 911 telecommunications equipment, will make changes to the 911 system to properly interface with the VoIP,” said Welty. “These changes are required no matter which vendor is approved.”

The city’s current provider, AT&T, will also penalize the city for canceling their contract early. That fee is anywhere between $5,000 - $8,000. Welty said he currently has that down to $6,300 but is still negotiating with them.

West will charge $7,357.50 to integrate the two systems together.

Upgrading the system from AT&T would be much higher, according to the Assistant City Administrator.

“I have included a quote from AT&T for a VoIP system,” Welty said. “After the cancellation fee on the AT&T contract the City will save approximately $700 per month in service fees and the installation and setup of a VoIP system by AT&T is $5,000 more than Mitel.”

AT&T Cost of installation and setup: $20,492.25
AT&T Cost of monthly service fees: $ 2,726.10

The original estimate of the city’s monthly service fee with the new phone system was $2,800.

The current year average monthly phone bill for the city is $1,989.36

Mitel estimated that after the system is installed, the monthly bill would be $2,036.03.

This would also require the installation of new telephones, which would be leased from Mitel and would be returned at the end of the contract if the city did not renew.

“I also contacted Ringcentral, Vonage, and 8x8, all of which provided me with basic proposals,” said Welty. “All three proposals were similar in price to AT&T's and none have a significant presence in Central Missouri.”

There is a need for an upgraded phone system, said Woods. “This is evident in the fact that we have issues on a regular basis and parts are not guaranteed to be available currently.”

The second reading should take place at the first Board of Aldermen meeting in October.

In other business at last week’s Board meeting:

• Approved the second reading of a bill to establish a Pro Tem Municipal Judge to serve in the event the duly appointed municipal judge is unavailable or temporarily unable to serve.
• Approved the second reading for a state block grant agreement, with the Missouri Highways and transportation Commission.
• Approved the second reading of a contract with HDR Engineering for a new west side water well.
• Passed the first reading of a request to support the veterans parade with a donation of $750.
• Approved sending $47,861 back to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

This will return to MoDOT Aviation money previously reserved to the Grande Glaize Airport in Fiscal Year 2015. This action does not require the city to write a check or move any money, it only releases that amount held for the city by MoDOT.

• Approved a request by Public Works Director Nick Edelman to purchase grinder pump rebuilding parts from Municipal Equipment for $53,205.56.
• Approved the purchase of a portable vehicle lift from Mohawk Lifts for $31,082.11.

This will be utilized by the Public Works Department for the maintenance of their vehicles and will be capable of lifting 36,000 pounds and will allow the department to lift the vehicle from the front and back of the truck so that the tires can be taken off.

It will also allow workers to better clean and maintain the vehicles (due mainly to salt and corrosion) and hopefully extend their life.