Budget committee renews town IT technician’s contract for one year amid vendor cost concerns

The Litchfield Budget Committee on June 25 approved a one-year renewal of the town's part-time IT technician, described in the meeting as "John," while members pursue additional due diligence on outside vendor quotes that ranged widely and in some cases included multi-year commitments.

Mr. Perry briefed the committee on the RFQ results: three vendors responded with proposals that, depending on scope, showed annual costs ranging roughly from $47,000 to $132,000. One bidder’s lower price assumed retaining John in-house as a backup; other vendors proposed fully outsourced models and three-year contract terms. Committee members raised concerns about capital costs for replacing hardware and the potential need to switch software license ecosystems (from Google to Microsoft) during transition.

A presenter with IT experience told the committee vendor quotes appeared high for the town’s needs, suggesting the services the town outlined would typically cost closer to $3,000–$4,000 per month rather than the nearly $11,000/month implied by some bids. Members discussed consolidation of IT functions between the town and school district as a longer-term option to leverage savings and build resiliency for vacations and unexpected absences.

Given the uncertainty and to avoid a potentially large multiyear commitment that could affect the tax cap, the committee renewed John's contract for one year with the condition he produce a backup plan; if he cannot provide a backup, the committee will revisit longer-term procurement and potential ballot action in March.

Chair said staff will monitor vendor follow-ups and return with more detailed cost comparisons when budgets are prepared.