Local vendor pitches VoIP phone service, says it can cut municipal phone costs

George Stewart, vice president of sales at Right Tel Hosted, told the Corinne City Council he wants to replace the city’s current phone lines with a hosted voice-over-IP system that he said would cut monthly costs and add features. “We're just moved from Salt Lake to Murray,” Stewart said, and described his company’s work with nearby cities and counties.

Stewart outlined two pricing options: basic phone lines at $19.95 each or a full-feature user package at $21.95 per user that includes replacement handsets, voicemail-to-email, a mobile app that shows the work number when employees call, instant messaging, call recording and call presence. He said the city currently pays “around $44.95” per line under its Comcast contract and that his offering would be “less than half the price” on a like-for-like basis. He noted a $9.01 911 recovery surcharge and estimated taxes at about 18–20 percent.

Stewart said the company offers free maintenance, replacement of defective phones, software updates and several other services that some carriers charge for. “We do [recording] for free,” he said, arguing the value of searchable call records and other management features.

Council members asked how the vendor charges for multiple handsets per user and whether texting is included; Stewart said texting is an optional add-on (about $5 per user) while most features are included in the $21.95 full-user price. He offered references from municipalities in the region and said the company had installed systems for several small cities and counties.

The council did not take formal action at the meeting. Staff and council members discussed getting a follow-up price comparison and reference checks before any procurement decision. The city’s clerk will coordinate next steps with the vendor if the council requests a formal proposal.