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Council hears requests for open‑records software, captioning and communications projects
Summary
City staff recommended purchasing open‑records case‑management software and highlighted an impending legal requirement for live‑stream captions; communications and city clerk requests appeared in the FY26 preliminary budget.
City communications and the city clerk’s office presented several smaller, operational requests the council may fund in FY26, including open‑records software, continued investments in media and outreach, and captioning for live streams to meet an upcoming legal requirement.
The city clerk’s office reported processing about 287 open‑records requests and publishing 28 council meetings through May of the current fiscal year; clerk staff asked to reclassify a receptionist to assistant city clerk to provide backup for records work and to purchase open‑records tracking software to route requests to departments and reduce manual spreadsheet risk.
The communications department described recent accomplishments (drone capability, newsletter redesign, Spanish translations and a new weekly radio show) and requested modest funds for new initiatives. A specific accessibility item discussed was live‑stream captioning: staff said a one‑time setup cost of roughly $10,000 and an annual fee of about $16,000 will be required by 2027; the funding would ensure the council’s public broadcasts meet the expected requirement.
The packet also noted the public education and government (PEG) fund can cover certain cable channel costs; staff explained that PEG is funded by a 1 percent cable fee and that PEG funds are restricted to government‑channel uses.
Ending: Council members discussed whether software or position reclassification would reduce recurring costs and asked staff to clarify long‑term efficiencies before final budget decisions.
