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County staff weigh scanning options to digitize records; on-site contractor suggested to preserve access during work
Summary
Community Development presented a digitization proposal Sept. 10 offering three options to protect Jefferson County's paper records: off-site scanning, on-site contractor scanning, or in-house scanning by county staff.
Community Development Director Derek Payne presented options on Sept. 10 for digitizing county paper records and creating a searchable electronic archive, saying the county needs digital resiliency to protect essential permitting, land-use and public records from fire, flood or other loss.
Why it matters: Many county records are stored as paper files in county facilities. A large-scale scanning program reduces the risk of permanent loss and improves staff and public access to building, land-use and historic records.
Options reviewed - Off-site commercial scanning (ship boxes to vendor): lowest bidder cited about $34,000 for scanning and OCR, but this requires loss of immediate access while records are scanned off-site. - On-site contractor scanning: a vendor would bring people and equipment to the county and scan boxes in place; staff reported a competitive quote around $57,000 for on-site services, which preserves access and avoids per-file fast-track fees. - In-house scanning using county staff: Derek presented a fully loaded cost estimate of roughly $120,000–$160,000 in staff time (one permit technician full-time for 12–18 months) and noted that would strain operations and remove a permit technician from regular duties.
Staff recommendation and next steps - Staff recommended pursuing on-site contractor scanning to preserve access to files and reduce the operational impact on county staff. - Funding: staff suggested building or capital funds could be used; finance director and county counsel will help identify the appropriate funding source and finalize contract terms.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return with a vendor contract and funding plan that preserves daily file access while completing the digitization.
