Sept. 16, 2026 Update: The County Commission did not take action on the remaining upgrades at yesterday's meeting. To view a recording of that meeting: https://youtu.be/1cVfNetX3tk?si=vkMpT0zRNRHlsjYK
The Laclede County Commission seemed likely at press time Tuesday to act on whether to go ahead on two remaining 911 infrastructure upgrades for the county.
The county commission purchased one of three proposed 911 upgrades at its Sept. 8 meeting. The Record had written last week the commission was likely to decide on the three potential upgrades. The two remaining proposed upgrades are aimed at further enhancing the county’s 911 infrastructure.
One of the upgrades, as the Record has reported, is INDigital Next Gen Core Services with Managed Emergency Voice Operations, which would take the county from Enhanced 911 (the county’s current system which uses copper lines) to Next Generation 911 (, the internet protocol-based, more modern, digital system) and provide text-to-911.
The county and City of Lebanon established a combined emergency dispatch in 2024, the Record reported then. In the county’s emergency communications center, also completed in 2024, the county now runs Laclede County Central Dispatch as a county department, with a 911 director answering to the commission.
The Record wrote last week that following its regular meeting, the County Commission had planned a work session with 911 Director Ryan Miles, which then led to presenting three proposed upgrades to the joint city-county Laclede County 911 Advisory Board for their review.
With no observed opposition (the Record was present for the advisory board meeting) to an upgraded recorder, the advisory board also greenlit the County Commission to buy the Ryzyliant EDGE Calling Handling System and Indigital NGCS with MEVO.
As we wrote in an online update to that story, the County Commission decided to purchase the Nelson System for Eventide DX Recorder for $40,000 on Tuesday and discussed proposals for INditigal NGCS with MEVO and Ryzyliant EDGE.
Action on the latter proposals, which are connected through the Indigital umbrella, seemed at the time of writing to likely to take place yesterday. The Record was unable to include the potential decisions on those contracts by press time.
In an interview later on Sept. 8, Presiding Commissioner Randy Angst expected the actual initial investment cost of the recorder, INdigital, and Ryzyliant EDGE to remain in the $318,391 range (the Record’s previously reported pre-contract estimate of first year investment costs was $313,226.11).
The funding for the two intertwined upgrades as well as probably the funding for the recorder would come from the $750,000 set aside for projects under capital improvement reserve fund expenditures in the 2026 budget, according to Angst.
Whatever was not spent in that line item this year would roll to the next year’s beginning cash balance to be rebudgeted, he explained.
Angst explained that money generated through the county’s memorandum of understanding with the City of Lebanon is a separate line item, 911 Equipment, under capital improvement reserve fund expenditures. That number would continue to grow and be budgeted for, he said.
Back at the meeting, the commission discussed the proposals with Miles and Indigital sales representative Jonathan Skeens. That took up the majority of the meeting.
The agenda for yesterday’s meeting was set to include Next Generation 911 and Indigital contracts as well as an opioid fund request from the Christian recovery program Lane Change.
Sept. 8’s meeting also included the approval of the county surveyor cooperative remonumentation program contract, a Missouri Blue Shield Grant Program agreement for the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office, and an at times tense conversation with Laclede County resident Larry Batt, who returned after his previous appearance at a County Commission meeting last year, over the condition of his road.
To listen to these items in more detail, readers can view a recording of the meeting on its YouTube channel.
For more stories, see Sept. 16's LCR.
