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Liberty Hill EDC debates $10,000 annual website/vendor subscription and seeks ROI justification
Summary
Board members questioned the value and responsiveness of the website/vendor subscription (referred to in discussion as a $10,000 annual package) and asked staff to present clearer metrics and a budgetary justification before renewal.
Board members spent substantial time reviewing the EDC’s website and marketing subscription—described in the meeting as an annual subscription item that can appear as a single large line in the budget—and sought more evidence of return on investment before renewing.
Staff described the vendor’s services: hosting the EDC site, providing a writer who produces articles for the year, maintaining a business directory, and running a real-estate listing app that populates opportunity data for the city. Several speakers said the vendor missed a requested deliverable during a staff vacation; staff acknowledged the lapse and said the client director normally resolves updates within a week.
One board member called the vendor’s responsiveness into question and asked whether Liberty Hill could obtain the same services at a lower cost. Staff acknowledged the difficulty of proving direct ROI for web services but said they would present a formal value analysis during the budget process and compare competitors before renewing the contract.
Separately, the group clarified that certain software/hosting charges are paid annually and can make a single accounting period look overspent; staff said those timing effects are normal and will be explained in the budget presentation.
Next steps: staff will prepare a report showing the subscription’s deliverables, comparative options, and cost-benefit analysis for the board to review in the next meeting prior to any renewal decision.
