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Bird Island reviews website contract, plans .gov migration and ADA updates
Summary
Staff told the council the town’s website contract is due for renewal; the vendor proposed a large price increase, the city regained control of its .com domain and staff said they will investigate moving to a .gov address and make required ADA accessibility updates before deciding on a new provider.
Staff reported the town’s website contract is approaching its renewal window and said the vendor (which acquired GovOffice/Catalyst) initially proposed much higher renewal fees. After reviewing the contract, staff said the city successfully enforced the existing terms and renewed the .com domain for a single year to retain control while exploring options.
Why it matters: Federal accessibility requirements (ADA) and vendor pricing changes could require significant website updates and recurring costs; domain ownership and hosting affect the city’s ability to manage and update content.
Key points: Staff said the current annual cost under contract is about $2,300 but that the vendor had proposed a much larger renewal figure (staff cited a figure they were quoted of about $34,000 for a year). The city now controls its .com domain and staff recommended considering a migration to the .gov domain that matches city email addresses. Staff will solicit additional estimates from alternative providers and examine features and ADA-compliance costs before making a decision.
Outcome: Council gave staff permission to explore other providers and to return with proposals and cost estimates; no final contract decision was made at the meeting.
