Comfrey council approves ARPA-funded AC replacements and a switch to GovAsyst for billing and finance

The City Council of Comfrey approved two budget and procurement items on Sept. 10: replacing three aging air-conditioning units at the municipal building using remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and migrating utility billing and financial software to GovAsyst.

Clerk Kelly told the council that the city has $20,268.50 remaining in ARPA funds, $10,000 of which is earmarked for a broadband project. The council reviewed a quote from Lamberton Heating & Plumbing and approved replacing three units at an estimated cost of $20,835 plus wiring; additional costs will come from the general fund and by reallocating $10,000 earmarked for broadband capital equipment. Councilor Kastner moved the measure, Councilor Evers seconded it, and the motion carried unanimously.

Separately, Kelly reported that the city's current utility billing software (UBMax) was purchased by gWorks and will be discontinued at year end; she recommended GovAsyst for utility billing and financial software after consultation with the city auditor and other small-town clerks. The council approved moving forward with GovAsyst (motion by Redman; second by Evers). GovAsyst pricing presented at the meeting: $1,950 per year for the utility module, $1,750 per year for the financial module, and a one-time $500 setup fee for each.

The council did not adopt additional budget ordinances at the meeting; both approvals authorize staff to begin procurement and implementation steps and will require follow-up for wiring costs, any additional general-fund contributions, and setup work for the new software.