Board authorizes new county website contract with CivicPlus; staff cited increased features and higher cost

The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize the county administrator to execute an agreement with CivicPlus to redesign and host the county website and related online services.

County Administrator Taylor presented the vendor proposal, saying CivicPlus is a large local-government web vendor that demonstrated a site design and integrated modules for meetings, accessibility features and online workflows. Taylor said the vendor quoted a new annual cost around $32,000, compared with the county's current estimated website cost of about $8,000 per year. Taylor said funding for the first year can be covered from the general fund if the board directs staff to proceed.

Board members who spoke said they wanted the county to offer clearer online services such as permit tracking, online employment applications and improved online tax-payment experience. The board discussed implementation oversight and asked that staff ensure the county receives the planned functionality and that departments be trained to maintain their content.

A motion to authorize the county administrator to execute the agreement passed with all supervisors voting in favor.

Taylor summarized vendor claims during the presentation: "They are a leader in local government technology... they say that their retention rate for their customers is 98%." He also described a proposed six-month implementation schedule for the site, training for departmental administrators and integrated meeting-management tools.

The board instructed the county administrator to proceed and to monitor contractor performance and departmental adoption during rollout.