Commission approves CenturyLink master service agreement; city to move long‑distance lines off state system

IT Director Chad Borgen told the commission the CenturyLink master service agreement covers the city’s long-distance lines, moving them from the state-managed Centrix system to a city contract. Borgen said rates will be city-specific and noted a roughly $10 per-line increase compared with the state system, though the city will retain some volume-pricing benefits for certain lines.

Borgen said the city must keep some legacy POTS lines for systems such as police dispatch and certain remote dialers that lack VoIP functionality until equipment changes are completed or vendors update their service. He also described a letter-of-agency (carrier access) document that permits the carrier to act on the city’s behalf during the transition.

Commissioners asked whether the city should expect continued need for long-distance lines with a VoIP system; Borgen said some lines must remain as POTS because of how they interface with existing equipment and systems. The commission amended a motion so that Jeff (unnamed role) may sign the agreements, and the motion passed by roll call.

Why it matters: the change centralizes telecom procurement with the city but may increase per-line costs and require staged equipment or service changes for legacy systems such as police lines and automated dialers.

Next steps: authorized staff to execute the CenturyLink master service agreement and carrier access documents and to proceed with needed equipment changes when practical.