As of Tuesday evening, Union County will be upgrading its phone system, as well as taking over several roads.

Voice Over Internet Protocol

Immediately following a joint meeting with Union City Council, Union County Council held their regular monthly meeting during which the council unanimously voted to purchase a Voice over Internet Protocol—also known as Voice over IP or VoIP—phone system. Voice over IP systems transmit calls on line rather than using traditional phone lines. The county’s current phone system will be obsolete by 2012 when its parts will no longer be manufactured.

The county will lease the Voice over IP system for five years, paying a monthly fee of $1,368. At the end of the lease, the county will have the option of purchasing the system for $1. The switch from the county’s current phone service provider to the Voice over IP system will save the county an estimated $5,000 every month.

“This is absolutely more service for less money,” said Union County Supervisor Tommy Sinclair.

The VoIP system will “piggyback” off of the 41,000 feet of fiber optic wiring recently installed as part of the new court management system at the Union County Courthouse. The installation of the court management system cost Union County $4,000, and the remaining $468,000 was paid by the South Carolina Court Administration.

“Our timing is very fortunate,” Sinclair said.

Addition Of Roads

In other business, six roads — Scarborough Drive, Deer Point Drive, Hunters Run Road, Pioneer Road, Southwood Drive and Light Road — were added to the Union County system as a result of a 3-2 vote.

Council members Randall “Chump” Hanvey and Dora Martin-Jennings were opposed to the addition of the roads to the system.

None of the roads currently meet requirements set by the county’s road ordinance, which causes transportation difficulties for residents, police and ambulances.