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Council approves computer hardware refresh, discusses ballot box, events costs and staff benefits research
Summary
Laguna Hills council approved an $89,248.30 not-to-exceed computer-hardware refresh for city staff, voted to continue review of the community-center ballot drop box location, requested staff to study employer-funded FSAs/HSAs, and directed research into dais touchscreen upgrades.
At its Jan. 28 meeting the Laguna Hills City Council approved several operational items and directed staff follow-up on benefits and chamber technology.
Procurement: Deputy City Manager Reynolds presented staff recommendations to replace 32 staff workstations with specified configurations (i7 and i9 processors, SSD storage, and upgraded RAM where needed). Staff obtained three informal quotes per purchasing rules and recommended a not-to-exceed purchase of $89,248.30; council approved the recommendation unanimously.
Ballot drop box: Council discussed renewing the county’s license for a ballot drop box at the community center. Staff explained county and state requirements (one drop-box location is required per approximately 15,000 registered voters) and said the original placement was approved by council in 2020. Councilmember Paisley moved to continue the item so staff could research alternate locations and bring options back; the motion passed 4-0.
Event budget accounting: Councilmember Wheeler asked that staff include estimated staff labor costs in event fiscal-impact analyses. He cited $24,800 in event expenses and $14,360 in staff-time cost for a group of events, noting the true cost is closer to $39,000 when labor is included. Council discussed whether overtime should be captured and how to show total costs in upcoming biennial budget work.
Chamber technology and staff benefits: Council directed staff to research touch-screen dais upgrades for the council chamber and asked staff to investigate employer-funded flexible spending accounts or comparable options for employee health benefits; finance staff noted HSA rules, open-enrollment timing and potential bargaining-unit impacts and offered to return with a decision matrix.
Next steps: Staff will implement the approved hardware purchase, return with ballot-drop-box location options, prepare budget displays that clarify staff cost assumptions for events, research dais touchscreen options, and prepare a report on FSA/HSA funding options for council consideration.
