Community Development Director Erica Ramirez presented a staff recommendation to replace the city's current permitting platform (Exela, implemented via TruePoint) with OpenGov, arguing the alternative better supports simultaneous plan review, mobile inspections, automatic notifications and out‑of‑the‑box reporting.

Ramirez said the original TruePoint/Exela agreement began in 2022 with a $252,567 contract and that implementation required ongoing professional services; the city has been on a month‑to‑month footing since the contract amendment in 2023. Staff tested alternatives (including GoGov) and concluded OpenGov offered the features the city needs, including Bluebeam integration for plan review and a public portal available at launch.

OpenGov representative Jack Cohen joined the meeting and described reporting, mobile app capability and nightly exports to support finance reconciliation. Staff estimated a five‑year cost profile that would be comparable or lower than continuing the current contract and said they planned to start implementation in January with a targeted “go live” around June (approximately six months from contract approval). Funding for year one would come from the permit technology surcharge and the community development professional‑services budget; ongoing costs would be covered by the surcharge.

Council members asked detailed questions about reporting granularity, mobile capability and integration with financial systems; staff and the vendor confirmed out‑of‑the‑box reporting and nightly export routines to support the general ledger. The council approved the professional services agreement and a resolution to appropriate funds for the contract by roll call.