During its Dec. 10 meeting, Montgomery City Council approved enrolling staff into AT&T FirstNet unlimited plan, canceling reimbursements to city staff for phone plans.

The gist

By switching to the AT&T FirstNet unlimited plan, city staff will receive smartphone devices to use for work. Information on the smartphones—such as texts, emails, notes and pictures—will be subject to public records requests, according to the agenda item.

City staff will also have to follow Senate Bill 1893, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in the 88th Texas Legislature, banning TikTok on government devices, according to the agenda.

By the numbers

The FirstNet unlimited plan is $39.99 per line, which includes unlimited talk, text and data. If the city purchases 21 phone lines, the annual cost will be about $11,600, according to the agenda.

According to the agenda, the city was quoted $919.60 monthly, which entails:

• $799.80 for a monthly FirstNet Unlimited plan
• $119.80 for 20 Apple iPhones (128 GB)

The iPhones have a 36-month term with an estimated payoff of December 2027, according to the agenda. After the 36-month term, the total monthly cost will be lowered to $799.80.

Anthony Solomon, interim city administrator and police chief, said during the meeting that the switch will save the city $9,650. Previously, the city paid approximately $21,250 per year for reimbursements of 18 staff members and $1,450 for three city-owned cell phones which are on a separate plan, according to the agenda.