Agenda Date: 05/19/2020
Subject:
Title
Ordinance 21-2020: An ordinance on second reading approving a five-year agreement with Tyler Technologies for a new Municipal Court Management System
Body
PURPOSE:
To gain council’s approval of a five-year agreement for the installation, maintenance and support of a new Court Management System.
PRESENTATIONS:
Staff Presenter(s): Danielle Trujillo, Court Administrator and
Reid Betzing, City Attorney
Additional Presenter(s): N/A
SUMMARY:
The Information Technology department through a strategic partnership with the Municipal Court has allowed the city to secure the best possible solution to maximize court efficiency and to serve the community.
The new Court Management System, will:
• Bring an antiquated paper processes into the 21st century
• Meet new state demands by automatically reminding defendants of upcoming appearances
• Provide online resolution to defendants, eliminating their need to appear in person
• Sustain online payments and allow defendants to choose payment plans
• Remove an outdated, unsupported server which currently presents a high-risk security issue for the entire city
• Move toward hosted web-based solutions, saving IT time and resources
• Integrate with essential criminal justice partner data, saving critical work time for the City Attorney’s office
• Provide finance with electronic reporting that meets their current needs and potential integration to eliminate duplicate data entry
PRIOR ACTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS:
During the 2019 budget process council approved $150,000 for the implementation of a new court software. Due to staffing changes in both the court and information technology departments, this project was requested for re-appropriation during the 2020 budget process and approved by council. The importance of a new court software was also raised by both the court administrator and judge during the 2019 council orientation sessions.
Passed on first reading at city council meeting on May 5, 2020.
ANALYSIS:
Staff Analysis
Staff utilized Sourcewell, a national cooperative purchasing program, to select a court management system to meet city needs and worked with the vendor to further reduce costs and create a significant savings for the city. The proposed contract represents the best price available.
The current system, no longer supported by the vendor represents a serious security risk; is not functional for staff; and the technology limitations, including long processing times and frequent reboots, creates an environment of poor customer service. The update is overdue and cannot be delayed further without significant risk to data and an ever-decreasing level of customer service.
Council Goal, Objective, and/or Guiding Principle
Implementation of a new court software system aligns with Goal 3: Good Governance as it is a strategic technology improvement and will increase organizational performance.
Fiscal Impacts
Current budget: $150,000 (Carried over from 2019)
Proposed 2020 Cost: $56,700
In years 2-5 the software maintenancecost will be $55,960/year (currently the budgeted annual software maintenance cost is $32,550). An increase in the e-ticketing surcharge which is included in the criminal code updates will offset the increased maintenance cost.
Alternatives
Deny the five-year term contract, which will require staff to either:
• pursue the more expensive two-year term (which may be difficult considering COVID-19 impacts); or
• forego the software, leaving the courts at risk with a software that is no longer supported by the vendor and impacting both customer service and productivity.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the five-year contract.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve Ordinance 21-2020 on second reading approving a five-year agreement with Tyler Technologies.