Somerset city staff proposed adopting an ESRI/ArcGIS asset-management system to map and track infrastructure, vehicles and equipment, saying a federal grant would cover the first year’s setup while the city would buy a data logger for ongoing high-accuracy positioning.

The system would let staff map assets — street lights, valves, signs, manholes and vehicle locations — attach service histories and generate work orders. A presenter described two vendors using the ArcGIS platform: Midwest Assistance Program and engineering firm HDR; both offered the same platform, the presenter said, but Midwest Assistance could cover the first-year setup under a grant while the city would pay for the data logger (quoted at roughly $500 to $1,500) and an annual license thereafter (described as “under a thousand dollars a year”).

Why it matters: the presenter and commissioners said Somerset currently lacks a searchable, digital inventory for many assets; officials said a consolidated system could reduce missed maintenance, generate automatic service reminders and replace ad-hoc paper logs and spreadsheets.

Key technical and cost points raised in the meeting included the following: the grant would pay for the first year’s mapping and built layers; the data-logger (referred to in the discussion as a “bad elf” device) would provide roughly 1.5–2.5 meter accuracy compared with about 10-meter accuracy from a phone; vendor staff can build initial layers (water, sewer, lights) and the city can add layers later; annual licensing/user fees and administrator/user counts must be reviewed before contracting.

Commissioners and staff discussed vehicle-tracking and maintenance workflows. The presenter said vehicle tracking and fuel/service logs could be added as layers but cautioned the platform is usually used for linear infrastructure (water/sewer) and that specialized vehicle-maintenance software may provide deeper lifecycle functionality.

Actions taken: the commission moved to hold the discussion and later voted to table final approval until the Jan. 16 meeting so staff could confirm license terms, cloud/storage details and any additional recurring costs. The presenter said funding was available in the 2025 budget to cover initial purchases.

Speakers identified in the transcript included the presenter (staff member) and multiple commissioners who asked how users, accuracy and costs would scale. Commissioners asked specifically about who would administer the system, whether departments (public works, police) would use it and how long setup would take.

Next steps: staff will request written pricing and contract terms from vendors, confirm whether data will be hosted locally or in the cloud, and report back at the Jan. 16 meeting for a final decision.