Centerville council approves GovStack website contract; members ask staff to seek lower annual escalator

Centerville — The City Council voted to approve an agreement with GovStack for city website services and authorized staff to try to negotiate the contract’s annual price escalator on a motion passed at the meeting. "The amount for the annual total is 6,234. The one-time design fee is $18,001.65, bring the total to $24,399.50 for the first year," said Lisa, a staff member who presented the item. Councilmembers also asked staff to seek a cap or lower floor on the annual increase after several members noted the contract currently reads the annual increase will be the "greater of 5% or [an] inflationary index." The council discussed negotiating language that would cap increases or use a collar — for example, 3% with a ceiling of 5% or a clause that is the lesser of a fixed percentage or the inflation index — and instructed staff to pursue negotiations but not to abandon the agreement if the vendor will not accept the change. The contract will fund initial design this fiscal year and delay some features, such as an AI chatbot, until next year because the one-time design expense consumes available budget this year. The motion included authorization for the administrative services director to sign the agreement; the motion passed. Councilmembers emphasized protecting the city from an unchecked escalator while recognizing the modest dollar differences involved (council discussion noted roughly $62 per 1% on the annual fee).