County IT describes protracted network and camera outages; officials seek external managed‑service support

County IT staff told commissioners the county is experiencing prolonged network configuration problems that have delayed camera restoration at county facilities and the fairgrounds and that in‑house options have been exhausted.

An IT presenter said they “cannot find anybody local that knows these machines,” describing high‑end switch configurations and CJIS background‑check constraints that require prospective technicians to be fingerprinted before working on the county network. The presenter said he had contacted a national managed‑service provider called Miles IT, which proposed an hourly arrangement, and that a grant application could provide funds for new switches (the presenter said a potential $77,000 grant decision was expected in about a week).

Staff said a temporary Starlink link at the transfer station has not resolved camera connectivity to the county network and that a shortfall of local specialists has forced the county to consider remote, virtually escorted work with an outside vendor to comply with CJIS rules. The presenter said he would continue to press for immediate engagement of an outside vendor to restore critical camera and network services before the upcoming fair.

Commissioners asked about timelines and the presenter said he hoped the cameras and switch upgrades would be completed before the fair, or at least by the week after Labor Day if grant funds are not available.