Georgian Bluffs Committee of the Whole is supporting the purchase and implementation of a new resident engagement website, and the installation of fibre optic services at the Township Administration Office.
During a meeting on July 6, a report was brought forward by Director of Corporate Services Brittany Drury.
The report recommended approving the purchases of these services as part of the modernization initiatives included in the 2022 budget.
The report says this follows a report brought to council at a previous meeting in April 2021, which outlined various modernization projects slated for completion in 2021 and 2022. Phase one of the projects were completed and staff are now moving to phase two, which includes the fibre optic installation and implementation of a resident engagement portal.
The report says the portal will incorporate all existing online services into one simple interface available for residents. The portal will include the ability for residents to check the status of their water and tax bill, rent a facility, order and pay for a dog tag, display resident engagement opportunities, garbage and recycling schedules, and service update announcements.
The portal will be fully customized for the township and be built into the existing website.
The budget for the engagement portal was set at $107,000, and the cost to implement the system comes to a total of almost $71,000. The township was successful in applying for a grant to fund the implementation costs of the project, and the funds must be spent before February 2023.
The report says the installation of fibre optic services will be used to support IT modernization initiatives.
“Currently, the township uses strictly wireless internet, with no back-up option available. This wireless set-up is unreliable, weak, and completely dependent upon weather conditions,” says the report.
In response, staff have met with and looked at options for fibre optic installation, and have connected with Convergia, a North American service provider that has the capacity to assist the town immediately.
The report says council approved allocating $100,000 for the installation in the 2022 budget. Funding through grants were sought by staff, but were unsuccessful in their bids.
