BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI

North Country This Week

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County legislators are taking steps to ensure telephone infrastructure for county offices can continue to operate as normal, agreeing to contracts with Red Comm Inc. to provide support.

Legislators approved the resolution during the operations committee meeting on Dec. 11.

Officials say the county currently owns and operates a Mitel-based telephone system, with components installed in multiple county buildings.

As part of owning and operating such a system, the county must pay Mitel licensing costs for the infrastructure which must be renewed on an annual basis through a Software Assurance Agreement (SWA) that is through an authorized Mitel partner.

That agreement needs to be signed prior to Feb. 2024, officials say.

Maintenance is also a concern, legislators say, with ongoing maintenance costs expected. Under a General Maintenance Agreement (GMA), legislators say the costs for both parts and labor will be covered.

Rel Comm Inc. is "a Mitel Gold Partner with over 30 years of experience in supporting Mitel phone systems and offers competitive pricing for Mitel hardware, software and services on the Sourcewell contract, satisfying the competitive process," according to the resolution.

According to officials, the Sourcwell contract is not to exceed $16,000 annually for the SWA for 2024 and $25,200 annually for the GMA in 2024.