Golf Manor Community Engagement Committee approves RFP to redesign village website

The Golf Manor Village Community Engagement Committee approved a request for proposals to hire a vendor to redesign the village website and set a schedule for vendor submissions and selection.

The committee agreed to publish the RFP as soon as the acting administrator posts it, with proposals due Friday, Oct. 17, and a vendor-selection discussion scheduled for the committee meeting on Monday, Oct. 20. The RFP asks vendors to present tiered pricing options (bronze, silver, gold), a development and testing plan that includes user testing with committee participation, a content-migration plan, ongoing operations and maintenance costs, and references including at least one municipal website.

Committee members emphasized responsive design for mobile and low-bandwidth users, search-engine optimization, integration of the village’s livestream and recorded meetings, and plain-language content. The draft RFP requests vendors to identify the staff or subcontractors who will provide ongoing troubleshooting and to list three references, one from municipal work. The committee listed a target launch date of May 26, 2026, and an approximate development budget the RFP describes as “$50,000” as the level the village hopes will cover baseline work; ongoing operational costs were discussed as uncertain and variably estimated by speakers.

The committee also discussed recent state legislation requiring municipalities to adopt cybersecurity policy protocols. Members asked that proposals demonstrate how they will meet anticipated state cybersecurity requirements and flagged coordination with county commissioners to align with county standards.

IT consultant Brett Palmer was cited in committee discussion as a technical reviewer; committee members said Palmer will act as a technical liaison if needed but cautioned that his time is limited.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to publish the website RFP and authorize the acting administrator to post it (mover: not specified; seconder: not specified): approved (voice vote). The RFP sets proposals due Oct. 17 and schedules vendor review Oct. 20. - Motion to excuse Dr. Fisher from the meeting (mover: not specified; seconder: not specified): approved (voice vote). - Motion to adopt the meeting agenda (mover: committee member Gwen; seconder: committee member Fields): approved. - Motion to approve minutes from the prior meeting (mover: not specified; seconder: not specified): approved. - Motion to reschedule the postcard outreach to March 2026 (mover: not specified; seconder: not specified): approved. - Motion to adjourn the meeting (mover: not specified; seconder: not specified): approved.

What the RFP asks for The RFP draft circulated to the committee requests: accessible, responsive design that scales across phones, tablets and desktops; analytics; a testing and user-acceptance plan that includes committee review during development; calendar and newsletter integration; an “add to home screen” feature; live-stream and archived meeting integration; and content migration from the current site. The draft asks vendors to price both development and ongoing maintenance separately and to recommend the scope of work for each tier.

Timeline and budget The committee set Friday, Oct. 17, as the proposal deadline and scheduled the Oct. 20 committee meeting to review submissions. The draft lists a target go-live of May 26, 2026, and indicates the village is hoping for a baseline budget in the neighborhood of $50,000 but asked vendors to propose tiered options and ongoing costs. Committee members noted that longer-term maintenance costs are uncertain and will factor into evaluation.

Regulatory note Committee members discussed recently passed state legislation requiring counties and municipalities to publish cybersecurity policies by specified deadlines in 2026. The RFP requires proposers to address security, privacy and any relevant state compliance measures; committee members also recommended coordination with county commissioners so the village would not need a second round of adjustments.

Next steps The acting administrator will publish the RFP after committee approval. Committee members asked to be sent the final draft and a vendor list; the mini committee and the full Community Engagement Committee will be invited to the Oct. 20 meeting to review proposals and aim to select a vendor at that meeting.

Ending Committee members asked residents and council members to suggest vendors and to submit example municipal websites for the evaluation. Dr. Bennett agreed to serve as point of contact for proposers and will be copied with communications to the acting administrator.