Sheriff wants new software completed
Published 7:22 pm Wednesday, July 10, 2013
More than a year after software was removed from the Sheriff’s Office, there is still work to be done, and Sheriff Charles West expressed his frustrations at Monday’s commission work session.
Last May, Johnny Brunson asked the commission for $3,000 per month in licensing on software he had designed and installed on the computers at the Sheriff’s Office.
Then, Brunson said that since he held the license to the software, he had the right to remove it if the Commission decided not to enter into a contract.
Brunson removed his software on June 17, 2012.
In September, the commission contracted with Stewart Thomas, a local software consultant, to create new software.
Luverne Journal archives show that Thomas was to write a web application program and use MySQL, a free, open-source database program that is on par with Microsoft’s SQL server to store data. Additionally, the county would purchase a Dell server for $2,200. Thomas would act as the system administrator and conduct weekly backup and offer 12 hours of service per month. The county was to pay Thomas $1,080 for the first month, $760 for the second month and $600 per month as he finished the software.
Thomas told the commission then it would he would “roll it out over three months. We’ll get the first forms that you need that you say are the highest priority, and then continue to roll out the next-highest priority items.”
West said Monday, all the software requested has not been placed on the computers, yet.
“All I want is my computers working,” he said.
Commissioner Charlie Sankey said he thought it was best to get everyone in the same room, and find out where they are in the process.
West and sheriff’s department officials have made a list of things that they say have not been accomplished.
The commission plans to invite Thomas to the next meeting.
In other business, the commission:
• declared a truck surplus for the road department;
• donated $1,000 from the discretionary funds to help with the 7-8-year-old girls all stars, who are traveling to Scottsboro to play.
• Discussed banning smoking near the entrances of the courthouse and other county buildings.