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County approves $29,932 tool to make website PDFs accessible
Summary
Steuben County approved a $29,932 Civic Plus add-on to convert PDFs into HTML for screen-reader accessibility, citing a DOJ requirement for public entities serving 50,000 or more; the board approved the purchase by voice vote.
Steuben County voted to buy a Civic Plus add-on for $29,932 that will convert PDFs on county websites into HTML so they can be read by screen readers. Information technology staff said the change fulfills a U.S. Department of Justice accessibility requirement for public entities that serve 50,000 or more residents.
"What this does is make us ADA compliant for any PDFs that we have on our website," Information technology staff said, explaining the software instantly creates an HTML version and leaves the original PDF in place. Staff told the board the county can apply the service to other county-owned websites and that the vendor will “flip a switch” once procured. The board moved, seconded and approved the purchase by voice vote.
Nut graf: The county framed the purchase as compliance-driven and time-saving: staff said it eliminates manual PDF remediation and reduces staff time on accessibility work. Members asked whether the cost was budgeted; staff said the IT capital project contains sufficient funds. No contract amendment details beyond the $29,932 figure were discussed at the meeting.
