Haslet council approves Datamax contract to operate meeting audiovisual systems

The Haslet City Council approved a contract with Datamax to provide audiovisual and meeting-technology support for council and board meetings for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Why it matters: Council staff said the contract will provide in-person technical operators for meetings and supplement IT support for network and AV troubleshooting that staff cannot perform under current access restrictions.

Contract details: The council approved a Datamax agreement covering the remainder of fiscal year 2024–25 for $13,200 (staff said that sum covers the remainder of the fiscal year; annual cost discussed in budget conversation was approximately $52,800 if continued for a full year). The vendor will provide in-person operators for council, board and commission meetings and handle higher‑level system access when network or audiovisual problems arise.

Discussion and context: Public Works and IT staff explained Datamax maintains servers and AV systems for the city and can directly troubleshoot networked devices during meetings. Councilmembers discussed whether the city would later convert the cost to a full-year line item in the budget workshop and whether the vendor could also provide website services (staff said Datamax does not provide web services; staff will pursue a separate vendor if needed). Councilmember comments noted the contract creates a live, in-person presence for each meeting and may be less expensive than hiring an in-house IT administrator.

Action: Motion to approve the Datamax agreement for meeting AV/IT support for $13,200 for the remainder of the fiscal year passed by unanimous vote.

Ending: Staff will implement the contract and bring any budget adjustments to the city’s next budget workshop for formal allocation of ongoing annual costs if council chooses to continue the service.