Reno County approves $190,161 IT upgrade, water‑rate addendum and jail behavioral‑health contract

Reno County commissioners approved three items at their Jan. 15 meeting: a $190,161 replacement of the LAPC virtual‑network infrastructure, a CPI‑based addendum to a 1988 water‑district agreement that increases the district’s per‑1,000‑gallon charges, and an amended Stepping‑Up behavioral‑health agreement with Horizons and Verizon that installs a case‑manager to work with inmates and individuals recently released from jail.

The IT project presented to the board would replace storage and host servers used by law‑enforcement dispatch and other county services. The presenter said the new configuration will include roughly 60 terabytes of storage across three host servers and disaster‑recovery devices kept off the main network so that, in the event of failure, the county could restore critical systems and limit data loss to about "15 minutes." The total project cost was listed at $190,161; the county’s share is split among the police, sheriff and fire departments. Commissioners moved, seconded and approved the purchase by roll call.

Separately, staff introduced Addendum No. 6 to an agreement dating to Oct. 26, 1988, covering Water District No. 1011. The addendum applies a consumer‑price‑index adjustment (discussed in the meeting as 6.5%) that raises previously negotiated per‑1,000‑gallon charges by roughly one cent to new rates shown in the agreement (noted in the packet as moving to 13¢/14¢ and 16¢ for excess use depending on tiers). County staff and a district representative discussed recent annual usage figures during the item (estimates in the discussion ranged from about 6 million to about 9 million gallons a year). The commission approved Addendum No. 6 by motion and roll call.

The board also approved an amended agreement to partner with Horizons, with Verizon as a participating partner, under the county’s Stepping‑Up initiative. Under the contract, Horizons will provide a qualified behavioral‑health professional to work with inmates while in custody and to assist with transition services after release. The county’s obligations include office space and computer access; the county’s monthly cost was listed as $1,825.06, representing the county’s share of compensation. The agreement’s term begins Jan. 1, automatically renews subject to annual review, and includes a required review and assessment if the program continues into a third year. Commissioners approved the amended agreement by motion and roll call.

Votes at a glance

- LAPC virtual‑network replacement: motion made and seconded; approved by roll call vote (see meeting packet for vote sheet).

- Addendum No. 6 to the 1988 water‑district agreement: motion made and seconded; approved by roll call vote.

- Amended Horizons/Verizon agreement (Stepping‑Up behavioral‑health position): motion made and seconded; approved by roll call vote.

The commission conducted these approvals during the regular session after public comment and presentations from staff. The meeting packet and staff reports listed the specific contract language and cost breakdowns; the commission noted the items will be implemented through the appropriate county departments and partner organizations.