City Clerk Victoria Mitchell told the council she is asking the city to purchase a CivicPlus agenda-and-records-management suite and a FOIA-tracking/redaction system to reduce staff hours and improve public access.

Mitchell said FOIA requests remain significant — 46 so far this calendar year, compared with 56 in 2024 and 136 in 2023 — and that many requests take long redaction and search time. She said vendor software would log and track requests, distribute them to departments, support redaction workflows, track time, and generate invoices; that workflow would also create a public, searchable archive of council packets and minutes.

On elections, the clerk asked for five new voter-check tablets (one per precinct plus a backup). Mitchell said equipment used in November was refurbished Parks & Rec tablets that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11, which the state now requires to run the qualified-voter-file software. She also asked for funds for updated precinct signage and temporary mailings if polling locations change.

The CivicPlus purchase was presented as a one‑time start-up of roughly $25,000 with a smaller ongoing maintenance cost thereafter; staff said that is the reason for a larger one-year increase in the clerk’s budget line. Council members asked about integration, training, and document continuity if the city later changes vendors; Mitchell said CivicPlus offers templates, training, and can import older packets and code-of-ordinances text.

Council did not take a formal funding vote during the session; staff said the line-item and initial cost are included in the proposed FY2025–26 budget for council consideration.