Committee reviews electronic meeting voting and vehicle-tracking systems; asks staff for bids and a pilot plan
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Summary
The budget committee discussed one-time purchases for an electronic voting system and an annual subscription to a vehicle-tracking service. The group asked staff to return with formal bids; the committee suggested funding part of the initial cost from the capital allocation turned in the levy pennies.
Committee members reviewed two technology items during the special-call budget meeting: an electronic commission voting system and a GPS/vehicle-tracking subscription for the county fleet.
Electronic voting system: staff presented three vendor tiers. The “essential” tier cited in the packet carries an approximate one-time setup in the low thousands (roughly $7,000) and an annual support fee (about $3,750); a higher “pro” tier was roughly $10,000 one time with about $5,250 annually. Committee members said the purchase would improve transparency and integrate with recently upgraded cameras; several members recommended buying the entry or mid-level option now and leaving the higher-tier integration for a later upgrade.
Vehicle tracking and telematics: staff reported that a neighboring municipality’s experience suggested fuel and maintenance savings sufficient to pay for the service. The city-supplied estimate in the packet showed an annual per-vehicle subscription of about $265; committee members multiplied that by an estimated fleet size (example given: ~200 vehicles) and arrived at a recurring cost in the neighborhood of $53,000 per year. The committee discussed piloting the service to confirm savings and whether to place the recurring cost on a half‑penny of the levy in the multi‑cent package discussed elsewhere in the meeting.
Funding and next steps: committee members suggested using part of the one-time county capital holdback to pay initial setup costs for the meeting-voting system and to pilot the vehicle-tracking system, and they asked staff to obtain formal vendor quotes and a written pilot plan. No contract award occurred at the meeting; the committee asked for bids and a recommended funding source in the resolution packet for the full commission.