London City Council on Jan. 16 considered a second-reading resolution to purchase CivicPlus meeting- and agenda-management software but did not adopt the appropriation during the session.

The proposal on the table (Resolution 101-25) would have purchased CivicPlus meeting-management functionality for a quoted annual price (clerk cited $5,200 including a $1,000 setup fee and an honored 10% discount). Council members and staff discussed whether the features council sought — streamlined agenda compilation, consolidated uploads, and facilitated minute-taking — could be achieved with existing tools already paid for by council (Zoom for meeting recording/transcripts and Adobe for PDF compilation) at lower ongoing cost.

City administrative staff (Miss Breedlove) told council that many of CivicPlus's more advanced meeting-minute features are sold as add-ons and require a CivicPlus-hosted website for full integration; those add-ons would add to the total cost and were not included in the basic price presented. The clerk said he is willing to use whatever tool council decides but noted cost and workflow implications. Several council members asked staff and the clerk to meet and test a Zoom+Adobe workflow and compare it side-by-side with CivicPlus (including any required CivicPlus website fees and add-on pricing) before the council votes on any appropriation.

Why it matters: The purchase would centralize agenda and meeting management in one vendor solution and could reduce repetitive manual steps for staff. Council members balanced that potential efficiency against the additional ongoing license and website costs and the possibility that current subscriptions already meet most needs.

Next steps: The clerk and Miss Breedlove will meet to test whether existing subscriptions and a changed workflow can meet council needs; they will report back to council before the next meeting. Council did not approve Resolution 101-25 at this session.