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Cowlitz County to replace GovQA with JustFOIA public‑records system; staff seek chair signature
Summary
Cowlitz County public records staff said they will replace GovQA with JustFOIA and asked the board to authorize the chair to sign a final master service agreement once minor edits are complete.
Bailey Silva, public records manager, and a vendor representative discussed a proposed master service agreement to move Cowlitz County from GovQA to a new public‑records management platform, JustFOIA.
Silva told the commissioners the county has negotiated a contract and that only minor edits remain — for example, updating invoice contacts and extending cancellation notice to 90 days to allow the county time to transition. She asked the board to authorize the chairman to sign the final agreement when those non‑material changes are complete.
Silva and vendor Travis said the JustFOIA platform offers features the county lacks in its current system, including unlimited redaction licenses (GovQA charges per license), better vendor support and a public portal option that allows requestors to use a PIN rather than create a full login. Staff also noted that JustFOIA offers optional Laserfiche integration if the county later chooses to use it; Silva said the county would not pay the additional integration fee immediately.
Staff said the move should be revenue‑neutral or a cost savings relative to GovQA and that they expect a year‑end rollout if the board signs the contract. Commissioners asked about reference checks and compatibility; Silva named Kennewick and Kitsap County (one of the two) as agencies already using the platform.
Ending: Staff will finalize minor contract edits and ask the chair to sign the agreement; they expect to begin building out the system and aim for an implementation by the end of the year.
