Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the It Contracts And Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves special-projects fund to cover county share of Softchoice migration under awarded grant
Summary
After staff recommended using Softchoice under a state contract to migrate Microsoft licensing, the commission agreed to create a special projects fund and transfer $233,176.95 to cover upfront costs; commissioners were told 70% of the cost will be reimbursed by a state grant once required paperwork is submitted.
County IT staff recommended the commission move forward with a state-contracted vendor, Softchoice, for Microsoft licensing migration and to create a special-projects fund to cover the county’s 30% share until state grant reimbursement arrives.
Jeremiah, Stark County’s IT coordinator, presented a cost comparison between the state’s Softchoice contract and the NDIT model. He told commissioners the Softchoice option offered greater administrative control and fewer restrictions for OneDrive and user management, allowed more in-house control of server administration and, in his review, produced the lowest pricing of vendors the county had contacted.
Brad, who said he applied for the grant as part of his Emergency Services role, explained the grant’s 70/30 cost-share structure. Jeremiah and Brad told commissioners the special-projects fund would be used to pay licensing and migration costs up front; the state grant would reimburse 70% after the county submits the required 2025 national cybersecurity review and other paperwork (the earliest anticipated reimbursement window begins after Oct. 1 when the 2025 certificate opens).
Commission discussion covered the vendor selection, whether changing vendors would require re-opening the bidding/amendment process for the grant, and timing of the contract start. Staff explained modifying the vendor would likely require a formal bid or amendment that could delay the project and that Softchoice appeared to be the lowest-cost option they had found.
Commissioner White moved to create a special projects fund and initially proposed transferring roughly $137,000 from county IT reserves; after amendment the commission approved a transfer of $233,176.95 to the special-projects fund, with the county’s roughly 30% share to come from IT budget reserves and the remainder to be reimbursed by the state grant. The motion passed on roll call. Commissioners and staff said the county will seek reimbursement for 70% of eligible expenses when the required state certification is submitted.
Why this matters: The county approved upfront funding so the IT migration can proceed under the state-contracted Softchoice vendor; the county is responsible initially for the local share and expects state reimbursement for the majority of eligible costs.
