The Carroll County Board of Supervisors voted this (Monday) morning to expand the courthouse’s door security system, but they are holding off on tying that system into the elevator due to concerns about costs. According to IT Director Dalton Morrison, the county has already installed some key fob security measures, and he’d like to include several other offices.
The key fobs prevent general access to potentially sensitive areas within the courthouse, and the supervisors voted unanimously in favor of the expansion, which will be paid out of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) fund. Morrison also presented a request that would tie the elevator into the system, which would limit access to the basement via the elevator. However, due to its age, it will cost close to $15,000 by the end, according to Morrison.
Communications Center Director Jason Hoffman says the ease of access to their office has been more of a concern as of late.
Hoffman adds that there were several other incidents of this, and he believes the comm center is a place where you want staff completely focused on the job at hand, rather than on who might be outside the office door. The supervisors agree with the concerns about security but balked at the cost, especially given that the courthouse will likely need a new elevator at some point in the future. Supervisors Mark McCrea and Mike Andersen suggested building a wall in the basement to create a security vestibule that limits access to the comm center without requiring elevator modifications. The board tabled a decision on the elevator quote until they could better determine the feasibility and efficacy of building a new wall.
