The county has given authorization to move ahead with a new 911 phone system.

During the Dec. 12 regular meeting, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners gave E-911 Communications Director Vic Williams the go ahead to replace the Patriot system currently in use with a Vesta system from Wireless Communications.

“This is the backbone of the 911 center, which is the 911 phone system,” Williams told commissioners.

Williams said the Patriot phone system was purchased in 2009, and the recommendation by the state 911 board is to replace the system every five years.

“The system is operating 24/7 365 days a year, which equates to over 67,000 hours of use,” Williams wrote in an email to county officials.

The new system will incorporate “text to 911,” allowing callers to text an emergency to 911 — a potentially life-saving feature under circumstances in which a 911 caller feels threatened. Williams told commissioners the Vesta system would be quicker to map locations of cellphone callers, and potential access to that information being provided by cellphone service providers is currently being addressed by the federal government.

The new system — $200,000 — was included in the 2016-17 county budget, but Williams said he reached out to multiple providers to find a more reasonable price. From an initial $200,000 quote, Williams said his research paid off.

“I found things that I didn’t think Beaufort County needed; got it down to $126,845,” Williams said.

The county will be reimbursed by the state 911 board for the cost of the system, as a 911 surcharge on phone bills is distributed by formula to the counties to be used only on certain items.

“They do that so that those critical pieces of equipment get replaced in a timely manner,” Williams said.

Williams said he sat down with members of the state 911 board to ensure that Beaufort County’s new system met its approval and reimbursement requirements. He said 80 to 90 percent of North Carolina’s counties use the Vesta system, and their service is known as “quick and reliable.”

Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve moving forward with the new system.