Legislature approves amended $4.38 million E‑911 appropriation and Carahsoft contract

The Jackson County Legislature held a public hearing and then voted to adopt an amended appropriation and contract for the county’s E‑911 system on Sept. 28. The ordinance (6,136) originally cited an appropriation figure in the low hundreds of thousands and a technology contract not to exceed roughly $4.28 million; following floor amendments the legislature adopted an amended appropriation and a higher maximum contract figure.

During public testimony, Sherry Roberts, city administrator for Buckner, told the legislature her city’s calculated equipment need was $316,058.76 and urged equitable distribution of 9‑1‑1 funds for smaller municipalities, saying taxpayers in smaller communities "fund this too, yet it continuously feels pattern where smaller municipalities are forced to survive on crumbs while larger requests sail through." The body discussed two proposed amendments; amendment 2 — which changed the date language and clarified the funding as a one‑time initiation collaboration and adjusted the appropriation — was accepted by roll call and then the ordinance was perfected and adopted.

The amendment language as read during the meeting appropriated $484,342 from the undesignated balance of the 2026 E‑911 system fund and authorized awarding a technology services contract to Carahsoft Technology Solutions (Reston, Va.) as a sole‑source purchase; the amended ordinance sets a county exposure of not to exceed $4,384,342. The amendment and the final adoption recorded votes of 8 yes, 1 abstain on the roll calls recorded in the journal.

Legislators asked for clarification on the reason for the increase; the chair and fiscal staff said the change addressed a shortfall for one municipality and brought the total to administration recommendation. The clerk’s roll calls preserved the final tallies. No further amendments to vendor selection were made at the meeting.