Smith County, Texas, has grown quickly over the last few years, but the county's communications infrastructure has not kept pace. As a result, residents who called county departments in the past often heard busy signals. “We were in the Dark Ages with our technology,” says Harvey Tanner, chief technical officer. “Our phone system was 25 years old and lacked features most now take for granted, like caller ID and voicemail, and we didn't have the capability to manage the system ourselves. But, we also didn't have a lot of money, so we needed a new network that could pay for itself in cost savings.”

Last year, county leaders chose to update the phone system with an IP network by Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Avaya that would use an existing fiber network backbone to connect 600 employees in 25 county office buildings, including the jail, courthouse, and five local voting precincts. The county contracted with Arlington, Texas-based Lantana Communications to design and install the new system that includes two servers, software, transmission lines and phones.

Now, IT staff can add phone lines, move extensions and change routine settings without calling the phone company. Employees can dial in remotely to get voice messages, forward calls to their mobile phones, view call logs or record calls. If employees need to report an emergency in a county building, the precise location of the phone used to make the call is reported automatically to the 911 center.

Previously, the county paid about $15,000 monthly for its phone system, and now it expects to save about $180,000 annually — enough to pay for the new system in five years. Residents who need to reach a county office can dial one phone number, and an automated attendant transfers them to the appropriate department or offers recorded messages about office hours and driving directions. “It's much easier for our citizens to reach us. And, after all, we want to make sure we can serve the community effectively and efficiently,” Tanner says.

Project: IP communication system

Jurisdiction: Smith County, Texas

Agency: IT Department

Vendor: Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Avaya; Arlington, Texas-based Lantana Communications

Date: November 2006

Cost: $590,000