City budget staff told aldermen during the May 29 FY26 workshop that a vendor assessment requires a broad computer upgrade to meet Windows 11 requirements and said the work will affect the FY26 capital budget.

Staff said ArchTech flagged roughly 21 desktop PCs that do not meet Windows 11 requirements and 12 ruggedized laptops used in police cruisers. The staff estimate discussed at the workshop ranged from about $25,000 to $35,000 for desktops alone, with an additional and separately budgeted police‑laptop cost estimated in the police budget because those units are ruggedized and cost more.

Budget staff recommended adding an explicit capital expenditure line for city equipment to ensure the needed upgrades are visible in the capital schedule; during the workshop staff placed a $25,000 placeholder in the draft capital equipment line and said they would refine the estimate. Staff also noted there will be consulting and deployment time to perform the upgrades and that ArchTech estimated roughly one to two hours of labor per machine for migration work.

Aldermen asked staff to capture a conservative estimate and to include consulting and deployment hours in the capital or IT lines so that the city does not have to add emergency appropriations later in the year. No formal appropriation was adopted at the workshop; aldermen directed staff to add the capital line and return revised numbers at the next budget meeting.

The proposed change would move the cost into capital equipment or the IT consultant line and leave the police‑specific laptop purchases in the police budget. Staff said they would return cost details, including whether ruggedized cruiser laptops would be purchased from the police budget or centralized under the city's capital plan.