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Flathead County approves $16,830 settlement and one-year license for Apprise iText software
Summary
The commission approved paying $11,220 for past license noncompliance and a $5,610 one-year license to continue using Apprise iText software; county staff said vendor agreed to release future claims.
Flathead County commissioners authorized a settlement and one-year license with Apprise Corporation to regularize past use of the Apprise iText software and continue processing county tax records.
Justin Miller, Flathead County director of information technology, told the board the county began using the software in February 2022 and at the time believed it carried a free license. He said the county did not satisfy the license’s reciprocal code-sharing requirement and was out of compliance. “We confirmed that. We did the investigation, confirmed we had indeed been using that license incorrectly,” Miller said. After discussions with Apprise, the vendor agreed to release the county from future claims in exchange for a one-time settlement payment of $11,220 and a one-year license fee of $5,610.
Miller said the one-year license would allow the IT team time to evaluate options: releasing nonproprietary code required under the free license, finding a lower-cost alternative or continuing with Apprise. He asked commissioners to approve payment totaling $16,830 to resolve the matter and maintain service for the coming year. Miller said the agreement had been reviewed by himself and the county attorney Tara and that neither found fault with the settlement.
A commissioner asked whether the payment would affect the IT budget. Miller said he was working with the county finance director and that a budget amendment might follow. The motion to authorize signature on the Apprise iText license usage and maintenance agreement passed by voice vote. After the vote, the chair commended Miller and county staff for promptly addressing the issue.
The county recorded the settlement amount and one-year license fee in public proceedings; commissioners did not authorize a specific budget amendment during the meeting but acknowledged a future amendment may be required.
