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Council approves $80,020 budget amendment for ADA web accessibility consulting
Summary
The City Council approved a one-time budget amendment of $80,020 to hire consultants to assess and remediate Meridian's web and mobile content for compliance with the U.S. Department of Justice's 2024 accessibility rule; staff said the work will include audits, prioritized remediation and staff training.
Meridian City Council approved a budget amendment of $80,020 to hire outside consultants to audit and remediate the city’s web and mobile content for compliance with the Department of Justice’s April 2024 web accessibility rule.
What the amendment covers: City staff explained the amendment will fund a consultant to review website content, mobile device content and common file types (PDFs, Word documents), supply a diagnostic prioritization of accessibility issues, and provide remediation recommendations and staff training. The city currently uses an automated accessibility widget to identify some issues, but staff said the widget cannot address every accessibility deficiency and that a consultant’s manual review is needed to meet the new DOJ rule.
Federal rule and timing: The city’s presentation described the DOJ rule as a federal accessibility standard that will affect state and local digital services; staff said April 2026 is the compliance horizon that drove the decision to retain consultants before the next budget cycle. The amendment was described as preparatory work to ensure Meridian’s content and public‑facing services comply with the new standard.
Council action: Council voted to approve the $80,020 amendment. Supporters said the work is an important transparency and accessibility step; staff noted the work includes remediation and training for content managers.
Quote: “I think if you do take the intent into consideration, I believe it's well intended… we do need consulting services to ensure that the city's in the right position come April of 2026 that we're in compliance with the rule,” the city speaker said to open the item.
Ending: Consultants will be retained to perform audits, provide prioritized remediation lists, and deliver staff training. Staff said the existing automated widget will continue to be used in parallel but cannot replace consultant review for full compliance.
