The Cass County Council voted Sept. 19 to begin the procurement process for a Motorola AXS dispatch console upgrade and related dispatch-furniture replacement, after hearing that current equipment will be unsupportable after 2030.

A county 9-1-1 board representative told the council Motorola plans to retire the current MCC platform and proposed the AXS Axis platform as a replacement. The proposal presented to the council listed an equipment and integration price of $740,207 and a recommended managed detection and response (MDR) cybersecurity service totaling roughly $37,756 over five years. The presenter said production and installation would require at least six months after approval, and that many centers nationally are already scheduling the upgrade.

Tara, the county dispatch coordinator, described ergonomic problems with the current furniture and presented a vendor quote for new consoles. One quote in the packet covered six stations at about $163,000; the coordinator said the consoles are currently "held together with staples and tape" and that newer furniture would allow standing stations and adjustable monitor placement to help dispatchers on 12-hour shifts.

Presenters said the modern console requires fiber connectivity rather than copper or T1 lines and noted price volatility because vendor proposals now tend to be valid for 30 days. The county was advised to consider timing because the MCC platform will be unsupported after 2030 and parts will become unavailable.

A council motion to "move forward" and begin the procurement and coordination process passed with a second and a recorded voice vote; the council directed staff to bring the contract and appropriation to the county commissioners for approval and to collect required written quotes under the county purchasing thresholds.

Council members noted the cost may be shared with the city under existing agreements; city and county cost-splitting will be worked out later. No final appropriation or contract was approved at the meeting; staff were instructed to collect quotes, confirm financing, and return with formal appropriation language and contract documents for commissioner approval.