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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.F.1. TAC Recommendation on Paperless Packet Project j o.F. 1. City of Shakopee MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council Mark McNeill, City Administrator FROM: Kris Wilson, Assistant City Administrator John Peterson, Telecommunications Coordinator SUBJECT: TAC Recommendation on Paperless Packet Project DATE: November 2, 2012 Action Requested The TAC is recommending that the Council adopt a motion authorizing the expenditure of $26,000 from the Telecom Division's R &D funds for the purchase of Agenda Quick software, three iPads and an upgraded Wi -Fi system for City Hall. Introduction At its September 4 meeting, the Council heard a staff presentation and recommendation to invest in paperless meeting packet software and hardware for the Council, as well as the City's various Boards and Commissions. At that time, the Council voted against proceeding with the project and then voted to refer the issue to the Telecommunications Advisory Commission (TAC) for further review. The TAC has now considered the issue and prepared a recommendation on the subject for the Council's consideration. Background As the Council will recall, the proposed project originally included the purchase of a paperless packet software product called Agenda Quick, along with 4G iPads to be specifically checked out to elected officials and Department Heads, and a set of Wi -Fi only iPads to be shared amongst Board and Commission members when they arrive at City Hall for meetings. A needed upgrade to the Wi -Fi system at City Hall and various accessories brought the total project cost to $44,050 upfront and $12,200 per year. This same proposal was presented to the Telecommunications Advisory Commission at their September 26 meeting, along with a brief demo of the software as currently used by the City of Ramsey and a synopsis of the Council's September 4 discussion on the subject. The Commission was asked to weigh in on the value of the project itself, whether there were logical ways to phase the project, whether they agreed with staff's recommendation on tablet devices, and whether they might support the use of the Telecom Division's R &D funds to pay for all or a portion of the project. After a substantive discussion, the Commission came to a consensus that there is value in the Agenda Quick software — not solely or even primarily from the standpoint of saving paper, but more importantly for the potential it has to make large amounts of information available quickly and in an organized manner. They noted that it is not uncommon for Council, board or commission members to say "1 remember talking about this issue two years ago...what did we do then? " The TAC believes that being Page 1 of 3 able to access that information in a matter of moments, instead of having to rely on the memories of members or staff who participated, will improve the decision- making capabilities of all of the City's voting bodies. It will also be a valuable service to the public in terms of providing easy access to information. Therefore, the TAC is recommending that the City proceed with purchasing the Agenda Quick software product. Secondly, the Commission discussed the hardware associated with the project. The Commission agreed with the criteria staff used to evaluate the various tablets on the market (screen size, 4G capability, camera feature, etc.) leading to the recommendation to purchase iPads. However, the Commission recommends moving forward with the purchase of just 3 iPads at this time for the purpose of further testing. (The original staff recommendation had included the purchase of 25 iPads). This is consistent with the Commission's philosophy on past R &D projects, where they have funded a small, initial purchase for the sake of testing and then allowed the technology to be more fully rolled out through the regular departmental budgeting process if so desired down the road. Staff envisions maintaining one iPad in the Council Chambers at all times to provide for that on- the -spot information during meetings and then to rotate the other two iPads amongst staff and interested elected officials to gather feedback and work -out any bugs. Lastly, the TAC recommended proceeding with the upgraded Wi -Fi at City Hall as it benefits not only meeting participants but also the public and members of the media who attend meetings. The cost for this component includes hardware, licenses, network cables, and labor. Budget Impact The Telecommunications Division's 2012 budget has $27,000 in R &D funds. This includes $17,000 carried over from 2011, plus an additional $10,000 for 2012 that has not yet been allocated to any specific project. The $17,000 was carried over from 2011 because the Commission was considering an outdoor Wi -Fi hotspot; however, they decided not to move forward with that project. The total cost of the project as recommended by the TAC is estimated to be $25,348 after tax and shipping are applied, including: $18,450 = Agenda Quick Software $3,128 = 4 Wi -Fi access points and 4 licenses $1,497 = 3 iPads at $499 each $640 = Network cable install and labor The purchase of the AgendaQuick software license and Wi -Fi licenses requires ongoing support and annual payment of $4,132 starting in 2014. These costs would need to be absorbed by the IT Fund. $3,500 = Agenda Quick annual license fee $632 = Wi -Fi annual license fee ($158 per access point) Recommendation The Telecommunications Advisory Commission recommends that the Council approve the purchase of Agenda Quick software, three iPad tablets and an improved Wi -Fi system for the main floor of City Hall at a cost not to exceed $26,000, to be funded from the R &D fund in the Telecom Division budget. Page 2 of 3 Staff Note If the Council proceeds with the TAC's recommendation, it should be aware that this will result in City staff preparing both electronic and print versions of the numerous packets that go out each month. While there may be some Council members and Board or Commission members that opt to receive their packet electronically and to read it in advance of the meeting and to access it during a meeting on their own personal device, we expect the absence of City provided tablets to result in the City having to continue to print and mail or deliver the vast majority of the packets in a paper form as we do now. This means that while the project will result in that instant access to organized information for many; it will be adding an additional layer to the packet preparation process, rather than creating the efficiencies staff had originally hoped for. Action Requested If the Council concurs, it should offer a motion to approve the purchase of Agenda Quick software, Wi -Fi hardware, and three iPads at a cost not to exceed $26,000 from the Telecom Division R &D fund. Page 3 of 3