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Somerset council debates a project-management system for tracking town projects
Summary
Councilmembers supported a central project-management tool to improve transparency and tracking but cautioned about complexity, cost, and vendor lock-in; members asked staff to organize vendor demos and a November briefing.
Somerset — Councilmembers discussed adopting a project-management system to centralize tracking of capital projects, procurement status and funding sources. EJ, the town manager, described the proposal as an active public-facing database that would list project details, funding, contractor status and timelines.
Councilmember Rohit urged using such software as both a tracking and transparency tool. He suggested demos and a November work session to evaluate options. "Project-management software made a huge difference in our tracking and reporting," Rohit said, referencing his experience.
Other members warned of implementation challenges. One councilmember who worked with similar systems argued they can become "very messy" and require ongoing upgrades and data management; another said the town must be clear on what it expects the system to deliver before selecting a vendor.
The council requested staff arrange vendor demonstrations, noted two vendors (Gogov and Diversified Technology) were under consideration, and asked for a follow-up briefing in November to assess suitability and scope.
