Council approves new application integrator position to reduce outside consultant costs

The City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution to create one full-time application integrator position in the Information Technology department and adopt a salary schedule for the new classification series.

Sam (staff member) presented the proposal, saying the city currently relies on external vendors and consultants to perform application configuration and integration work for systems such as Accela (used by Community Development) and the Tyler Enterprise Resource Planning software used by Finance. Staff said bringing the work in-house would reduce ongoing consultant costs and provide continuous expertise during the city's software migrations and upgrades.

Council members asked about relative savings. Sam and other staff said the city spent roughly $120,000 on consultants for Accela between fiscal years 2022–2024 and that Tyler-related consultant costs are expected to be higher. Council members supported creating an in-house position to reduce dependence on outside consultants as more software modules are deployed.

The council adopted the resolution by roll call: Council Member Reedy — yes; Council Member Eklund — yes; Council Member Pearl — yes; Mayor Andrea Andreatta — yes. (Mayor Pro Tem Brown absent.) Staff said the position will be used for Accela configuration, Tyler ERP integration and other enterprise application work and that the city will monitor consultant spending after the position is filled.

Ending: Human Resources and IT will finalize the classification and begin recruitment per the approved salary schedule.