Walla Walla staff recommend new enterprise asset management system with built-in citizen app; council to consider authorization in February

City staff presented a proposal at the Jan. 21 work session to replace the city’s aging enterprise asset management (EAM) software with a GIS‑centric system that includes an integrated customer-relationship management (CRM) module and a mobile app for residents.

Mr. Bealey, who led the presentation with Chris Owen, the city’s technology services director, said the project ties directly to the city strategic plan’s goals to use technology and data to improve service and operational efficiency. “As an organization, we are driven by our mission to enhance the quality of life in Walla Walla and strive to be the best of the best of the Northwest,” Bealey read from the strategic plan during the briefing.

City staff recounted the city’s history with asset-management systems (initial implementation in the 1990s, updates in 2008, and a three‑year trial from 2021–2024 on a vendor product that did not integrate well with GIS). Staff said the preferred vendor option scored well in staff demonstrations and reference checks, integrates directly with the city’s Esri environment, and includes an integrated CRM — an advantage that avoided buying a separate CRM product. The recommendation is budgeted in the 2025–26 budget and staff said they will return to council at a Feb. 12 work session seeking formal authorization to proceed.

Key technical and program points discussed by staff and council: - GIS integration: staff said the recommended system connects directly to the city’s authoritative Esri databases rather than relying on replicated cloud copies, which reduces synchronization issues and lowers ongoing maintenance burdens on the city’s small GIS team. - Citizen interface: the package includes a mobile app that can accept photos and geolocations; staff said the city requested at least Spanish language support for the app. - Implementation timeline and cost: presenters estimated an implementation timeline of about 12 months with consulting help (staff contrasted this with the longer rollout the city experienced previously). Staff presented a three‑option cost comparison; the recommended option had significantly lower initial and three‑year costs than a more expensive, more feature‑rich alternative. Staff said the higher‑priced alternative offered additional maturity and integrations but at a substantially higher cost that was not justified for current needs. - Security and procurement: Chris Owen said the city performs a vendor security survey for SaaS vendors and will require satisfactory responses before contracting. The recommended vendor uses AWS for hosting; staff said they will perform security due diligence and require vendor responses to the city’s security survey.

Councilmembers asked about operational impacts and benefits. Staff said the system would automate creation of work orders from citizen reports, allow better preventative‑maintenance scheduling (for example, valve exercise and catch basin cleaning records), and improve knowledge capture to reduce institutional risk when experienced staff retire. Council members also pressed staff on how the city would manage citizen expectations and potential surges of app reports; staff said some controls and communication protocols would be established during implementation and that the city could study other cities’ approaches.

No contract was authorized at the work session. Staff will return for formal authorization at a Feb. 12 work session with additional details on cost, security checks, data migration plans and implementation schedule.