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Bluff staff recommend manual conversion to preserve ownership of ADA‑accessible town documents
Summary
After staff research found a subscription vendor could cause the town to lose direct access to ADA‑converted files, Bluff staff recommended hiring manual conversion so the town retains ownership and can meet an April 2027 accessibility deadline.
Bluff — Bluff staff briefed the council Dec. 2 on options to make town documents compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Malia's research, read into the record by staff, found that a subscription product (identified in the meeting as Doc Access) would provide ADA‑converted documents but could leave the town without full access or ownership of the converted files: "Unfortunately, we do lose access to the ADA accessible documents... Therefore, she recommends that we hire someone else to manually convert documents so that we own the documents that we have paid to convert." Staff noted the compliance deadline cited in the meeting is April 2027.
Council members discussed the tradeoffs: subscription services can be more expensive but may preserve access in some vendors' offerings; manual conversion is costlier in staff time but ensures the town retains control of its records. Council asked staff to continue vendor research, include higher‑cost options that preserve access, and return with concrete proposals and budgets. No procurement decision was made at the meeting.
Key quote: "We need to be kind of hyper vigilant aware of any subscription model because... that's the whole point. So, they want you to keep paying the month," a councilmember said, warning of subscription lock‑in.
Next steps: Staff will continue vendor comparisons, explore options including internships or temporary hires to handle conversion, and present recommended contracts or pilot options before committing funds.
