City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Lisa Roos, City Clerk & Finance Director
Date: 05/12/2026
Subject: Agenda Management System
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Agreement with eScribe for the Premium Bundle agenda and meeting management system, which includes YouTube integration, with an annual subscription of $18,000 and a one-time implementation fee of $1,200 (funding source: General Fund).
BACKGROUND:
Since 2017, the City of Ripon has been using IQM2 (aka MinuteTraq, Granicus, or Digital Boardroom) as its agenda management system. The software has been used to automate the agenda preparation process, assist during the Council and Planning Commission meetings, and assist with minute preparation. The City was recently notified that support for the existing software platform will no longer be supported effective September 2026.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
In evaluating replacement options, the City Clerk department reached out to other Clerk departments regarding agenda management systems currently in use and recommend by their agencies. Staff also reviewed City websites and participated in vendor demonstrations with several companies to determine the system best suited for the City’s operational needs.
Below is a chart of the vendors that were considered:
Vendor Notes
eScribe Considered a potential fit.
Granicus/Peak Considered a potential fit.
Granicus/One Meeting Not recommended due to complexity of the software as it compares to our needs and requires Office 365, which we currently do not use. Although Granicus is the vendor of Ripon’s current system of Minute Traq, the new software being proposed is a completely separate platform that provides no efficiencies or benefits by remaining with a Granicus product.
Civic Plus/Civic Clerk Not recommended due to past experience updating the City website, as that was a long, drawn out process.
PrimeGov Not recommended based on feedback from other municipal City Clerks.
Legistar Not recommended based on feedback from other municipal City Clerks.
Key priorities identified for the new software include:
Ability to easily create staff reports, agendas, and minutes. Allow the Council to vote during the meeting and follow the agendas. Allow staff to look up historical staff reports and use templates from previous meetings when creating agendas for future meetings.
Although the new system will be different, we are trying to choose the replacement that will align with the current services we have.
For Fiscal Year 2025-26, the City’s annual cost for the current system is $20,055 and has increased by at least 7% each year over the last 3 years. The cost for Peak or eScribe, the two primary replacement options, are summarized in the table below:
Vendor One-Time Cost Annual Cost
eScribe $1,200 $18,000 + 6% each year
Granicus/Peak $10,594 $18,231 + 7% each year
Based on the feedback from other City Clerks and the demonstrations reviewed by City staff, staff is recommending eScribe. This software is the most suitable option due to its functionality and the least expensive. An additional benefit of the eScribe platform is the ability to integrate meeting minutes with the City’s YouTube recordings, allowing users to easily access an area of the agenda.
From the City Council’s perspective, this system will function similarly to the current system by allowing review of the agendas and the ability to make notes and reference those notes during the meeting. In addition, during the meeting, the Mayor will be able to call the vote on particular items with all Council members voting on said item.
The implementation time for this new software will be approximately 12 weeks. Staff anticipates transitioning to the new agenda and minute management system in September 2026, with YouTube integration to follow shortly thereafter.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There will be a one-time cost for the implementation of $1,200 and then an annual subscription fee of $18.000, which will increase 6% per year for the first 3 years. (funding source: General Fund). Our current budget for this line item is $18,000 per year, based off the cost of MinuteTraq.
Attachments:
1. eScribe - Client Subscription Agreement - City of Ripon - May 2026