Shelton staff recommends server and hardware replacements; council pauses some new public‑engagement software

City staff told the Shelton council at the Sept. 23 study session that Shelton’s core servers and desktop hardware need replacement and that staff included roughly $50,000–$60,000 in the 2026 request as a priority. Staff said they applied for a Department of Military grant that might cover some or all of the server and Windows server replacement costs but included the line in the proposed budget so the need is visible to council.

Staff described a continuing five‑year replacement cycle for laptops and desktops and proposed making the $10,000 annual hardware replacement an ongoing line so the city stays on a sustainable refresh schedule. Council members signaled support for the server replacement and for formalizing a regular hardware replacement allocation.

Staff also presented new software options: a $30,000 first‑year implementation and $12,000 ongoing cost for an agenda and video management platform that links agenda items directly to recorded video, and an AI‑driven public engagement tool (quoted at roughly $1,200 annually in the materials) that would let the public search site documents and embed short explainer videos. Council members were divided; several asked staff to delay the purchase of the public engagement platform and the agenda software pending quantification of staff time savings and better cost‑benefit analysis.

Council approved replacing critical servers and continuing a laptop/desktop refresh program but asked staff to bring more detail on the agenda/video management system and the AI engagement platform at a later meeting.