Commission approves $1.14 million Heartland contract for data center and disaster recovery

The Pitt(s)burg Commission on Dec. 17 approved a $1,139,903.65 contract with Heartland Business Systems to implement a replacement data center and disaster‑recovery solution, paid through a five‑year lease‑purchase.

City IT staff presented the proposal as a turnkey solution designed to meet law‑enforcement data standards. "This proposal is 100% designed specifically around those compliance issues," said Jeff, the city IT representative, who added the contract includes data migration and training and 24‑hour hardware replacement during the five‑year term.

Resident Roger Lomchak questioned why the expense was not listed as a line item in the recently passed budget and raised security concerns tied to storing police body‑cam footage. "If this project has been worked on for a year and a half, why was it not included in the budget?" Lomchak asked. Jeff said the work was funded from the public‑safety sales tax program and that similar purchases have been carried out via lease‑purchase arrangements.

Jeff told commissioners the city pursued a competitive‑proposal process appropriate for specialized technical services rather than a sealed bid, that multiple vendors had contacted the city over two years, and that the chosen proposal was the most cost‑effective option that met requirements. He said market volatility and vendor availability delayed earlier procurements.

Commission discussion focused on cloud versus on‑premises storage, compliance and long‑term support. Jeff said the city aims to migrate more systems to the cloud when cost‑effective but that some legacy and security‑sensitive systems are likely to remain on‑premise.

After questions, a motion to approve the agreement was made and seconded. The Commission recorded affirmative roll‑call votes and approved the contract. The city will proceed with implementation under the lease‑purchase schedule.