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Planning staff push Baseline permitting modules and website change as part of 2026 budget
Summary
Planning staff asked council to approve additions to the Baseline permitting system (a $4,000 site‑plan module and a $650 CRM add‑on) to consolidate records and improve customer service; staff also briefed council on an in‑progress website replacement expected to reduce annual hosting costs.
Planning staff described investments intended to modernize permitting and records management, asking council to include two Baseline software items and to adjust the website line item pending final vendor pricing.
Staff said the Baseline platform, already used for building permits since 2024, would be expanded with a site‑plan module (about $4,000) to let applicants upload full site plans and supporting documents into a single, address‑linked record. A smaller $650 customer‑relations add‑on would allow staff to track communications and histories tied to parcels, reducing reliance on Google Docs and Excel.
Council members asked how the cost compares to other commercial platforms and whether the subscription model produces long‑term savings. Planning staff said the request is a modest expense compared with enterprise CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and emphasized expected staff‑time savings and improved customer responsiveness.
Staff also reviewed a planned website migration and said they expect the new annual hosting/maintenance cost to be materially lower than the current $17,000 figure; staff estimated a new rate in the range of roughly $6,500–$8,000 annually but asked to confirm the final number for the budget packet. Staff noted the ERP service line for the vendor labeled 'Cassell' (Civic Systems) will remain for AP/payroll processing and should be clarified in the line descriptions.
Council asked staff to bring final vendor quotes and a comparison of three‑to‑five‑year costs for both Baseline add‑ons and the website before final budget adoption.
