County approves $19,003.51 UPS purchase to safeguard Northern Tier 9‑1‑1 operations

Elk County commissioners approved the Emergency Services Department’s request to purchase an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) from Urgent Corp for $19,003.51 to support Northern Tier Regional 9-1-1 equipment.

Technical staff explained that a UPS provides battery backup to bridge the brief interval between a power outage and generator startup, ensuring 9-1-1 consoles and phone systems remain operational. The presenter described the UPS cabinet as containing multiple deep-cycle batteries (the transcript references "35 deep cell car batteries"), and said it maintains servers and critical outlets until generators come online.

Commissioners asked questions about operation and reliability, and staff recommended the purchase. The motion to approve was moved and passed by voice vote.

The record indicates the purchase term would begin Jan. 1, 2026 and run through Dec. 31, 2026; staff did not report financing source details during the meeting.