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Council debates buying Trimble/ArcGIS equipment to map water and gas shutoffs
Summary
Staff proposed purchasing Trimble rover gear and training (one-time costs ~$9,069) to bring GIS mapping of utilities in-house; council discussed staffing, timing and long-term savings but took no final action.
Staff presented a proposal to bring water- and gas-infrastructure mapping in-house using a Trimble rover, cellular-enabled iPad, and ArcGIS training. One-time costs were presented at roughly $9,069.26 (with accessories about $5,005.70); staff and the consulting engineer said the investment could reduce repeated contractor mapping costs (about $5,600 per map update) over time but noted an initial training period.
Staff said, “Long term, I do think there's a savings there because mapping is about $5,600 a pop when we have to update those maps.” Council members raised concerns about staff availability and timing; some recommended delaying purchase until spring to retain training benefits. The council took no action at this meeting, leaving the decision for a future agenda.
