Cole County Commission approves sole‑source ad for DevNet integration, buys iPads for county assessors

Cole County commissioners on Nov. 18 authorized procurement steps aimed at modernizing property‑record workflows and approved a small technology purchase for the assessor’s office.

County staff requested permission to run a sole‑source advertisement for iLookabout, a vendor whose software integrates with DevNet to enable automatic field assignments, mobile data collection and seamless updates to property records. The assessor explained the county plans to inspect every residential parcel in calendar year 2026 and that field inspectors will work from iPads to measure, photograph and upload data directly into DevNet. The assessor said the vendor offered a waived setup fee and a reduced price to encourage implementation in Missouri.

A commissioner moved to run the sole‑source ad for iLookabout; the motion was seconded and carried on affirmative voice votes.

The commission also approved the purchase of three iPads with data plans for the assessor’s field inspectors at a total cost of $3,722.64. The assessor said the devices will let supervisors see field employees’ locations at a given moment for safety and to measure productivity. A motion to approve the iPad purchase was made and commissioners voted 'Aye.'

No amendments or conditions were recorded in the provided segments. Commissioners discussed staffing and certification plans for appraisers and asked about data backups and file retention.