Pulaski County Commissioners Want Input from Office Holders Before Approving Email Upgrades

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners have decided to hold off on upgrades to the county’s email system, until office holders have a chance to learn more about the proposed changes. IT Director Matt Voltz told the commissioners last week that the new system would make it easier for the courts, jail, and prosecutor’s office to communicate when scheduling cases.

“We’re looking at moving our current email system away from LightStream because it’s extremely limited in its functionality,” he said, “and getting Office 365, which will allow us to actually have calendars that move with you that you can share to other departments or inside your department for tracking time off.”

Voltz presented quotes from Golden Tech and Van Ausdall & Farrar. Both companies proposed a monthly fee of $2,000, but Van Ausdall & Farrar would charge a one-time setup fee of $20,000, while Golden Tech’s setup fee was only $2,000.

But Circuit Court Judge Mary Welker and Superior Court Judge Crystal Brucker Kocher said this was the first they’d heard of the proposal. Specifically, Judge Kocher said she wanted to know how the new email system would interface with the Odyssey court software, before the commissioners approve the change.

The commissioners directed Voltz to review the proposed upgrades with the judges, clerk, sheriff, and prosecutor, and get their approval, before they make make a decision.