Fall River commission shifts website management to regional vocational school, approves $2,000 hosting allocation

The Fall River Commission on Disability voted June 24 to transfer management of the commission’s website to Diamond Regional Vocational Technical High School beginning in September and approved a $2,000 allocation to cover three years of hosting and related expenses.

Chairman Dennis Paul Celi introduced the proposal from the Web Access work group and brought the matter to a vote after commissioners agreed to take voting items to the top of the agenda. Commissioner Dan Robillard moved to place the voting items first and Commissioner Lisa Silva seconded; the commission approved the procedural change and then considered the website item.

“The only cost is for Bluehost to host, but there will be no cost for Diamond,” Chairman Dennis Paul Celi said during discussion of the management change. Commissioners then debated the proposed hosting allocation listed on the agenda and concluded the agenda figure was incorrect. Commissioner Dan Robillard moved an amendment to set the allocation at $2,000 to cover Bluehost hosting and any additional, associated website expenses; Commissioner O’Neil Souza seconded the amended motion.

Commissioner Robillard said the $2,000 figure was intended to provide a buffer for domain, security and feature costs. “This may not all go to Bluehost, but there may be other associated expenses with the website,” Robillard said. Commissioners asked whether the allocation would be paid as one lump sum; Robillard confirmed it would cover the three-year period in a single payment.

The commission approved the amended allocation by roll-call vote. The meeting minutes record the commission also approved moving the website management to Diamond Regional Vocational Technical High School in September.

The vote and the amendment were procedural actions to enable the work group’s plan to move hosting and site maintenance to a school-managed platform while ensuring funds would be available for any incidental website expenses.

Next steps noted by commissioners include finalizing the handoff to Diamond Regional and confirming hosting arrangements with Bluehost and any other vendors if needed.