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Commissioners approve AudioEye integration to improve county website accessibility ahead of 2027 ADA requirements
Summary
Albany County authorized procurement of an AudioEye accessibility plug-in for the county website. IT staff said a prorated first-year fee will be about $11,200 and ongoing annual cost about $4,500, with implementation helping the county meet new ADA requirements taking effect in 2027.
Finn, county IT staff, told the board the county is evaluating AudioEye, an accessibility tool CivicPlus integrates into its website product, to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements that take effect in 2027. The product provides automated and human audits, generates remediation reports, and adds front-end accessibility controls (larger fonts, highlighted reading cursor, audio, etc.).
Finn said the vendor offered a discounted, prorated first-year price of about $11,200 to co-term with the county's CivicPlus contract; subsequent annual licensing would be about $4,500. Commissioners discussed the vendor's public demonstration and accepted staff's recommendation to add the AudioEye plug-in. The board approved the procurement by motion and voice vote.
Why it matters: adding the accessibility tool will help the county identify and remediate website accessibility issues before 2027, reducing legal and service-access risk for residents with disabilities.
Discussion vs. action: staff presented product features and cost estimates; the board approved purchase and directed implementation.
Next steps: IT will contract with the vendor, schedule an audit and begin remediation work to address flagged accessibility issues on the county website.
