County staff will make the ultimate decision on new court software.

Commissioners approved giving staff the leeway to negotiate up to a set amount for a software package, equipment and five-year maintenance plan. The software would allow the various courts and law enforcement agencies to share information electronically.

The county received two bids for software, one from South Carolina-based Fivepoint Solutions and the second from Illinois-based Integrated Software System. The bid from ISS was the lowest, at a total $522,086 to install the software and needed upgrades, more than $233,469 lower than FivePoints’ bid, but the bids don’t include the cost of a five-year maintenance plan, which the county wants to secure.

“This a long-needed thing,” said County Manager Tod Tentler. “Our software is about 20 years old and falling apart. It’s outdated — its impossible to update it’s so outdated.”

The current software also costs the county about $100,000 annually in maintenance, which would be eliminated with the upgrade. Tentler said that once all financing was secured — the project is eligible to use special-purpose, local-option sales tax funds — and staff were able to reach an agreement for installation and the 5-year guarantee on maintenance, they would move forward, as long as the amount was within commissioners’ set limit.

In other business Tuesday, commissioners approved:

•Writing a grant for new bullet-proof vests for the sheriff’s department.

•Approved a bid by Ideal Electric for up to $56,362 for electrical and mechanical work on the planned Whitfield Road Fire Station.

•Authorized the Tax Commissioner’s Office to receive non-cash payments, which must be authorized after each election for the tax commissioner.

•Postponed the commission’s Feb. 1 work session to Feb. 15, and Feb. 5 meeting to Feb. 19.