Council tables sole‑source website contract after questions about proprietary rights and missing master agreement

Warren City Council on Tuesday voted to table a proposed two‑year contract with Inside Out Design to provide website development and maintenance services for cityofwarren.org and miwarren.org, citing unclear contract language, apparent inconsistencies between the scope and a vendor letter, and the absence of a master services agreement.

Why it matters: Councilors said the contract appears to both claim proprietary rights for the vendor and also state that the city would receive source code and database designs at delivery — language councilors said cannot both be true. Members also questioned a sole‑source justification for a routine web development and maintenance contract.

What councilors said: "As the original website designer and developer has proprietary rights to the configuration of the website," read one vendor letter in the backup materials, a point Council Member Lachney and others challenged as inconsistent with the contract language that states the city will receive source code in delivered form. "You can't have one or the other," Lachney said, and he moved to table the item and refer it for legal review.

Staff and procurement: Councilors asked staff to produce the master services agreement, a termination‑for‑convenience clause, a clear rate table for out‑of‑scope work and documentation clarifying why the procurement was handled as sole source. The city’s communications staff said the proposed work covers two sites, includes a 10‑hour monthly maintenance allotment at $1,250 per month, and excludes hosting fees.

Outcome: Council voted to table the resolution pending review by the city attorney and procurement staff so that the contract’s ownership, termination and fee provisions can be clarified.