Commissioners review detention‑center repairs, IT security and antenna proposal; schedule facility tour
January 31, 2026 | Chase County, Kansas
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Sheriff and facilities staff updated the Chase County commissioners on Jan. 30 about a set of detention‑center maintenance and technology matters and asked for further technical review before any purchases.
Items reported included moving a piece of equipment (telehandler option, estimated $100), a request for an IT firewall or VPN to enable remote access to the state's STAR reporting program, and two bids for hardware (roughly $1,199 for firewall hardware; about $1,111 for a laptop alternative) with labor and installation costs not included. Staff suggested coordinating with county IT (Tom) before authorizing purchases.
Staff also presented a Services Unlimited quote to replace thermostats in the detention center with Wi‑Fi models that include air‑quality and humidity sensors: installation cost shown in the transcript was $6,116.20 for the devices and installation, with an ongoing platform fee (estimated ~$17/month) once more than 15 devices are managed. Commissioners expressed concern about device security, physical lockboxes for thermostats, and monitoring fees.
A private company, Digifarm, proposed mounting an antenna on the detention center using county power and internet; the tech said consumption would be small (0.07–0.2 amps) and bandwidth impact minimal (~0.3%). Commissioners asked staff to have county IT (Advantage Computer) evaluate security and service agreements and to seek more information and community interest from local farmers.
The board also discussed courthouse camera installation routing and wiring constraints and asked staff to provide site photos to evaluate proposed cable routing through a lobby/elevator shaft.
Finally, commissioners moved to recess and reconvene at the detention facility for a site visit and tour; the tour was scheduled immediately after the meeting.
What happens next: county IT will be asked to assess the firewall/VPN and Digifarm proposal and staff will return with technical recommendations and cost estimates; the board proceeded to a facility tour to inspect the detention center and related systems.
Items reported included moving a piece of equipment (telehandler option, estimated $100), a request for an IT firewall or VPN to enable remote access to the state's STAR reporting program, and two bids for hardware (roughly $1,199 for firewall hardware; about $1,111 for a laptop alternative) with labor and installation costs not included. Staff suggested coordinating with county IT (Tom) before authorizing purchases.
Staff also presented a Services Unlimited quote to replace thermostats in the detention center with Wi‑Fi models that include air‑quality and humidity sensors: installation cost shown in the transcript was $6,116.20 for the devices and installation, with an ongoing platform fee (estimated ~$17/month) once more than 15 devices are managed. Commissioners expressed concern about device security, physical lockboxes for thermostats, and monitoring fees.
A private company, Digifarm, proposed mounting an antenna on the detention center using county power and internet; the tech said consumption would be small (0.07–0.2 amps) and bandwidth impact minimal (~0.3%). Commissioners asked staff to have county IT (Advantage Computer) evaluate security and service agreements and to seek more information and community interest from local farmers.
The board also discussed courthouse camera installation routing and wiring constraints and asked staff to provide site photos to evaluate proposed cable routing through a lobby/elevator shaft.
Finally, commissioners moved to recess and reconvene at the detention facility for a site visit and tour; the tour was scheduled immediately after the meeting.
What happens next: county IT will be asked to assess the firewall/VPN and Digifarm proposal and staff will return with technical recommendations and cost estimates; the board proceeded to a facility tour to inspect the detention center and related systems.
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