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Council questions web and software costs, explores alternatives to Civic Plus
Summary
Councilors and staff discussed a roughly $35,000 web/IT services package that includes CivicPlus hosting, codification and meter-reading software. Members asked staff to seek price comparisons and suggested exploring free or lower-cost software alternatives.
Councilors reviewed line items for web-based services and questioned a recommended figure that aggregates web hosting, codification, meter-reading and other cloud services.
A staff member described the scope of the package: "Civic Plus hosts our, our web page, also does our meeting agendas, minutes, also does the codification..." The staffer said a contract had been signed for CivicPlus and that the line includes hosting, tax-conversion software, meter-reading services and firewall/security tools.
Council members suggested reviewing the overall package and shopping alternatives. One member recommended trying low- or no-cost PDF tools and other consumer software to reduce smaller line items: "You guys tried Foxit Reader?" another member asked, noting it is a free alternative to Adobe for many PDF functions.
Staff said parts of the expense could be trimmed but that some systems (tax conversion, meter reading, firewall) are integral to town operations and cannot be swapped out immediately; staff asked for time to compile account numbers and vendor quotes for council review.
The council directed staff to provide price comparisons and to examine which services could be reduced without disrupting essential town operations.
