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Town council votes to remain on Keystone billing system after cloud pitch
Summary
After a vendor presentation on a cloud-hosted replacement, the council voted to remain on the town's server-based Keystone system, citing near-term budget concerns and uncertainty about transition costs and training.
At its June 3, 2025 regular meeting, the Town Council voted by voice to remain on its server-based Keystone financial and utility-billing system after hearing a presentation on a cloud-hosted alternative.
The vendor representative told the council the proposed system would be hosted in Microsoft Azure, allow staff to access financial records remotely, and include an online payment portal for utility customers. The vendor emphasized security and operational benefits of a cloud deployment and described a migration that would export Keystone data and rebuild it in the cloud. "Security being one of them," the vendor said when listing benefits.
Council members pressed on costs and operational impacts. The vendor estimated training at about 18 days and said that existing Keystone maintenance ($12,175 cited in discussion) could be prorated if the town switched mid-contract. The vendor also detailed payment fees, saying its portal charges about 2.95% compared with roughly 3% for the town's current processor and flat portal fees (about $3 for payments under $500, $6 above $500), and that ACH-like settlements would post to the town's account faster under the proposed portal.
Several council members said those savings did not outweigh an immediate pressure on the town budget and uncertainty about how the user interface and workflows would change. "I'm just concerned about our future finances," one council member said.
After discussion, a council member moved that the town remain with Keystone; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The council also noted that a special meeting to discuss the 2026 budget is scheduled for June 24, which could affect future procurement decisions.
The council did not publish a roll-call vote tally for the motion at the meeting. Staff and the vendor were given direction to document costs and proration details in case members want to revisit the proposal.
Next steps: The council will consider budget impacts at the June 24 special meeting and may reopen procurement discussions if members request further cost analysis or demonstrations.
