The City of Summerset voted on Dec. 30 to hire Dot Marketing to design and host a new municipal website and to have City Attorney Mike Wheeler pursue refunds and termination of the city's existing GoDaddy services where appropriate. The commission approved a motion to proceed after staff presented contract and budget options.

Commission staff said review of GoDaddy paperwork revealed a "universal contract" and that, while the city can terminate services, eligibility for refunds is unclear. Gwen, a staff member leading the records review, told the commission, "Basically, we can terminate it anytime," and said staff would request refunds before setting a termination date to maximize recovery if refunds are available.

City officials discussed how to pay for Dot Marketing's services. Staff described an upfront payment scenario (about $10,400 cited during discussion) and an ongoing service fee of roughly $100 per month once the site is live. One commissioner urged paying the full 2024 amount to gain bargaining leverage with the vendor; another noted the city had budgeted roughly $2,500 in a related line for website work.

The commission directed Wheeler to review the Dot Marketing contract before execution and to handle refunds or termination discussions with GoDaddy, with staff emphasizing that contracts would be reviewed by legal before final signatures. The motion to proceed with Dot Marketing and to authorize the city attorney to seek refunds and pursue termination of GoDaddy carried by voice vote.

The city also asked Dot Marketing to provide review periods during development so staff and commissioners could preview pages and clinical/interactive forms before the site goes live. Officials said they expect the vendor to provide a local contact for quicker support than they experienced with GoDaddy.

Next steps: the city attorney will review the Dot Marketing contract, staff will pursue any recoverable refunds from GoDaddy, and staff will return with contract paperwork and payment timing for final approval.