Freestone County Commissioners Court wrestled with plans for implementation of new technology at two successive meetings March 13 and 19.
E-Force and LGS systems are set to go live in county departments in May, and they will be running in connection with new service from Windstream. Employees will be trained on the new systems in April after the installation of the equipment in mid-March.
E-Force is a law enforcement and public safety software product and LGS provides browser-based information management for county governments.
Commissioners said they wanted all the functions LGS is setting up for the county to be available after some department heads said they planned to use only part of it, retaining some of their current practices like manual spread sheets and other computer programs.
An LGS representative suggested the functions county departments did not want to use be eliminated, but commissioners said they might change their minds later. The cost of the systems would be the same no matter the number of functions being used, they noted.
“This is not trial and error,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Lloyd Lane said. “It’s designed to work for our county.”
District Attorney Brian Evans agreed with Lane, saying he planned not to use the function for hot check prosecutions, but he wanted all the capabilities in place. It could be that as he becomes for familiar with the system, an advantage might be discovered, he said.
“If it doesn’t cost any more, I want the whole package,” Evans said. “I think every office should feel the same way I do.”
County Clerk Renee Gregory said she planned to continue using some of her current methods as the new system is implemented to keep everything running smoothly.
County Judge Linda Grant said the discussion, which did not involve any action, had been productive. “The main thing is that we want to keep everything active,” she said.
The court tabled a proposed change to a contract with Windstream until a representative explains the purpose to the court. It would be the seventh change to the contract since it was originally signed about a year ago, county officials said.
In other action, the court:
• Approved spending $3795 per year so that 275 county firefighters can have Active 911 applications on their mobile phones that will alert them to emergencies.
• Delayed approving a burn ban at this time.
• Approved the sale of fireworks for San Jacinto Day.
• Appointed Precinct 3 Commissioner Lloyd Lane, along with the county auditor and treasurer to the Investment Policy Committee.
• Approved replating two lots into a single 1.77acre tract in The Wilderness in Precinct 4.
• Rejected an appointment of a reserve deputy as a volunteer in Precinct 2 for liability reasons.
• Approved a special road use agreement for Comstock Oil & Gas with a $1 million bond.
