Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE
ANNUAL RENEWAL OF CONTRACT SERVICES FOR
CIVICPLUS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026/27 AND 2027/28
INCLUDING A MINOR BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR $1,908
Date: August 25, 2026
Written by: Angela Courter, Director of Administrative Services Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving the renewal of the City's agreement with CivicPlus for Fiscal Years 2026/27 and 2027/28 and the related minor budget amendment for $1,908.
Background
The City of Cotati currently utilizes several CivicPlus services to support essential administrative, public information, records management, emergency communications, and website functions. These services are provided through CivicPlus as a combined annual service agreement and include:
• NextRequest – public records request management;
• CivicReady – emergency mass notification services;
• Website Redesign Services – support and services related to the City's website; • Website Hosting and Security – annual website hosting, security, and related services; and
• Domain Hosting – hosting and management of the City's CotatiCity.org and CotatiCity.gov domain;
• Website Hosting and Security – annual website hosting, security, and related services; and
• SSL Management – management and maintenance of the City's Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate and related website security.
These services have become integrated into the City's day-to-day operations and provide important tools for communicating with the public, responding to public records requests, maintaining the City's website, and supporting the security and availability of City online services.
Analysis/Discussion
CivicPlus provides a consolidated platform of services that supports several important City functions. NextRequest provides a centralized system for receiving, tracking, processing, and responding to public records requests. CivicReady provides the City with an emergency mass notification platform that can be used to communicate important and time-sensitive information to residents and the community. The CivicPlus website services support the City's public-facing website, including hosting, security, domain management, SSL management, and related services. Maintaining these services ensures continued availability and security of the City's website and provides a consistent platform for delivering information and services to the public.
Renewing the CivicPlus agreement also provides operational continuity. Transitioning these services to multiple vendors or alternative platforms could require additional staff time, data migration, system configuration, training, and implementation costs. Continuing with the existing provider allows the City to maintain established processes and systems without unnecessary disruption. The annual renewal is subject to automatic renewal unless either party provides at least 60 days' notice prior to the renewal date. Accordingly, if funding is not available or the City determines that continued services are not necessary, the City may provide the required notice prior to the renewal date to prevent the agreement from renewing for the subsequent fiscal year.
The proposed annual cost for Fiscal Year 2026/27 is $27,742. The agreement provides for future annual fee increases of no more than five percent (5%). Based on the maximum allowable increase, the annual cost for Fiscal Year 2027/28 would not exceed approximately $29,130 if the full 5% increase were applied to the current annual cost. Future renewals will remain subject to annual budget approval and the City's ability to provide the required notice of non-renewal.
Financial Considerations
The proposed annual cost for CivicPlus services for Fiscal Year 2026/27 is $27,742. The expense will be included in the appropriate departmental operating budgets. The current budget only accounted for $25,834 in expenditures. As such staff are requesting council further approve the attached budget adjustment of $1,908 to account for the remaining balance above the adopted budget allocation. The full cost of the contract is allocated across departments and funds consistent with our Technology and Data Management Citywide Allocation.
Environmental Issues
Where it can be determined with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA review.
This general rule can be applied to activities which could be subject to the CEQA process, but which logic dictates should not be subject to CEQA review. Therefore, based on the information provided above, the proposed resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 14.03.021 of the CEQA Guidelines in that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment.