EDA recommends council approve $1,398 to trial Executive Pulse CRM

The Kasson City Economic Development Authority voted to recommend that the city council approve $1,398 from the 414 commercial‑programs budget line to frontload a two‑year subscription to the Executive Pulse customer‑relationship management platform.

EDA staff said the Rev team had previously secured a $200,000 grant and set aside $5,400 for technology; none of those funds have been spent. After demonstrations of two CRM products, staff recommended Executive Pulse as the more cost‑effective option. The quoted plan included upfront fees (described as just under $4,000 in the presentation) and a recurring fee that staff calculated as $3,000 over the next 24 months, based on a vendor quote of $175 per month and a 5% discount.

“We accounted to have $5,400 go towards technology, and none of those funds have been used as of today,” the EDA coordinator said when introducing the proposal. She described the platform’s reporting features and said the Rev team supported moving forward with available funds.

Board members discussed whether to charge the upfront payment to the current 2025 budget or to spread the cost into 2026. Several members recommended frontloading the one‑time net outlay now if budget lines allow, to avoid recurring budget pressure in the next year. One member suggested monitoring utilization short‑term and discontinuing the subscription if it does not produce sufficient value.

After a motion to recommend approval and a second, the board passed the recommendation by voice vote. The recommendation will go to the city council for final approval; the meeting transcript does not record a roll‑call vote or named vote tallies on the EDA voice vote.

The EDA indicated the $1,398 request would be paid from line 414 (commercial programs) and that staff would track usage and report back to the board on the platform’s effectiveness.