July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

County may switch phone service

Jay County Commissioners

By STEVE GARBACZ
As long as there are no early termination fees for canceling phone service at the Jay County Jail, the Jay County Commissioners are expected to approve a switch in provider to Comcast.
Sheriff Ray Newton and 911 coordinator Bill Baldwin told the commissioners last week that the county could save about $3,000 per year by switching to Comcast from CenturyLink for phone service in the administration area of the jail.
Attorney Bill Hinkle had reviewed the contract with Comcast as well as the county’s current agreement with CenturyLink, but had a few questions.
“I got the (CenturyLink) contract but it doesn’t say a term,” Hinkle told Baldwin and the commissioners this morning. “My first concern is to make sure we exceeded the term of the CenturyLink contract so we can terminiate without penalty.”
Bill Baldwin said that he wasn’t sure if the county was still inside a term or if service was now on a month-to-month basis.
“I don’t think we’re on a contract,” he said. “It may be self-renewing.”
“You need to find out if there’s a penalty for closing out the CenturyLink account,” commissioner Milo Miller Jr. told Baldwin.
Baldwin said he would look around the office for the required information or call a CenturyLink representative to get an answer.
The new contract with Comcast would be for three years at a rate of $324.50 per month. Last week, Newton said monthly CenturyLink bills range from about $500 to $700.
The Comast price would include long-distance phone service and would allow the jail to keep its current phone numbers.
The commissioners told Baldwin that if he could return with answers about the current contract term, they would sign the new Comcast contract today.
In other business this morning, the commissioners:
See Phone page 2
Continued from page 1
•Were informed by Wayne Township resident John Engle that he noticed some fallen trees near the Salamonie River around his property that may be obstructing the flow of the river.
The commissioners told Engle, who lives east of Portland on Ind. 26, that they would have the county surveyor’s office check the area and deal with a obstructions.
•Signed a thank-you note to Meshberger Brothers Stone Corp. thanking the company for donating stone to the county in the aftermath of the Feb. 28 flood event.
•Appointed victim’s advocate Nikki South and Jay County Public Defender Bob Beymer to the Jay County Community Corrections Board at the request of board president Brian Hutchison.
•Signed emergency claims of $347 and $187 for Title IV-D expenses for the Jay County Clerk’s office.
•Were informed by Jay County Clerk Ellen Coats that she received permission from the state to destroy records that were stored in the courthouse basement that got wet during flooding in the city.
•Signed an emergency claim of $60,000 in Economic Development Income Tax Funds to the Town of Bryant. Those funds were given to the town as a grant to help it pay for a forthcoming sewer project.
As long as there are no early termination fees for canceling phone service at the Jay County Jail, the Jay County Commissioners are expected to approve a switch in provider to Comcast.
Sheriff Ray Newton and 911 coordinator Bill Baldwin told the commissioners last week that the county could save about $3,000 per year by switching to Comcast from CenturyLink for phone service in the administration area of the jail.
Attorney Bill Hinkle had reviewed the contract with Comcast as well as the county’s current agreement with CenturyLink, but had a few questions.
“I got the (CenturyLink) contract but it doesn’t say a term,” Hinkle told Baldwin and the commissioners this morning. “My first concern is to make sure we exceeded the term of the CenturyLink contract so we can terminiate without penalty.”
Bill Baldwin said that he wasn’t sure if the county was still inside a term or if service was now on a month-to-month basis.
“I don’t think we’re on a contract,” he said. “It may be self-renewing.”
“You need to find out if there’s a penalty for closing out the CenturyLink account,” commissioner Milo Miller Jr. told Baldwin.
Baldwin said he would look around the office for the required information or call a CenturyLink representative to get an answer.
The new contract with Comcast would be for three years at a rate of $324.50 per month. Last week, Newton said monthly CenturyLink bills range from about $500 to $700.
The Comast price would include long-distance phone service and would allow the jail to keep its current phone numbers.
The commissioners told Baldwin that if he could return with answers about the current contract term, they would sign the new Comcast contract today.
In other business this morning, the commissioners:
•Were informed by Wayne Township resident John Engle that he noticed some fallen trees near the Salamonie River around his property that may be obstructing the flow of the river.
The commissioners told Engle, who lives east of Portland on Ind. 26, that they would have the county surveyor’s office check the area and deal with a obstructions.
•Signed a thank-you note to Meshberger Brothers Stone Corp. thanking the company for donating stone to the county in the aftermath of the Feb. 28 flood event.
•Appointed victim’s advocate Nikki South and Jay County Public Defender Bob Beymer to the Jay County Community Corrections Board at the request of board president Brian Hutchison.
•Signed emergency claims of $347 and $187 for Title IV-D expenses for the Jay County Clerk’s office.
•Were informed by Jay County Clerk Ellen Coats that she received permission from the state to destroy records that were stored in the courthouse basement that got wet during flooding in the city.
•Signed an emergency claim of $60,000 in Economic Development Income Tax Funds to the Town of Bryant. Those funds were given to the town as a grant to help it pay for a forthcoming sewer project.
[[In-content Ad]]
PORTLAND WEATHER

Events

November

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

To Submit an Event Sign in first

Today's Events

No calendar events have been scheduled for today.

250 X 250 AD