Charlie Bauder, Anderson Independent-Mail (South Carolina)

TOCCOA – Stephens County commissioners will take a closer look at a proposed maintenance services agreement for recording equipment at the county’s E-911 facility.

On Tuesday, Stephens County E-911 director Denny Folsom brought county commissioners a proposed contract from Quality Recording Solutions LLC.

Currently, the county has a contract for these maintenance services with Gunby Communications of Toccoa. That contract runs through Dec. 31.

Folsom said he has no complaints with Gunby’s service, but said Quality Recording Solutions’ proposed contract would save the county more than $1,000.

“The main concern here was why were we paying so much for a maintenance agreement when we can get it from a company that does recording, that is all they do, for that much less,” said Folsom.

He said Quality Recording Solutions performs similar maintenance for a number of other counties in the area.

Gunby general manager John Smith said his company also does this work elsewhere.

As for the higher cost of his contract, Smith said his contract includes lightning protection under which he is responsible for the cost of repairing damage caused by lightning.

He said he feels that is valuable to the county.

“If I am paying for the lightning damage, you can bet that I am going to do everything I can possibly do to keep it out because I have skin in the game,” said Smith.

He said his contract price could be brought down if the county did not have that lightning protection.

The Quality Recording Solutions proposed contract did not have lightning protection in it.

County commissioners unanimously voted to table the matter in order to look into it further.

In a separate matter, the county commission unanimously approved an IT consulting agreement with Quick Technologies on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Stephens County commissioners unanimously approved a motion to declare more than 30 pieces of land owned by the county as surplus property.

Stephens County Commission Chairman Stanley London said doing this allows the county to sell these properties to members of the public.

London said the goal is to get the properties back on the tax digest, rather than having them in county hands.

Most of the properties are well under half an acre.

Stephens County officials said a legal notice will be published soon advertising the entire list of land declared as surplus property and setting out the sealed-bid process by which the properties will be sold off.

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