Laserfiche WebLink
Item No: 2 <br />Meeting Date: Nov 6, 2006 <br />Type of Business: Worksession <br />Administrator Review: ____ <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br /> <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: James Ericson, Community Development Director <br />Item Title/Subject: Laserfiche Overview and Presentation by Cities Digital <br /> <br />Introduction: <br /> <br />For many years, City staff and City Councils have recognized the need to adopt and institute <br />a city-wide records management system to help track, preserve and file documents and <br />important files. In years past, documents created by former employees were often difficult or <br />impossible to retrieve, essential files misplaced or lost, or worse, whole boxes of documents <br />were lost, stolen or mistakenly eliminated. While the situation has improved as we become <br />more “digital”, there remains a significant difficulty in archiving, searching for or retrieving <br />documents. <br /> <br />Discussion: <br /> <br />To address this document management deficiency, a line item was added to the capital <br />improvement plan to fund the transition to a City-wide electronic document management <br />system. Staff has met with Cities Digital, the local vendor of Laserfiche, the most widely <br />utilized document management system among government institutions nationwide. The City <br />of Roseville has acquired the software for this product and is making it available to the City at <br />no cost or at a nominal fee. The up-front cost to the City would be acquiring the hardware to <br />scan documents, moving forward the costs would include a share of the annual maintenance <br />fees and the personnel hours (or contract costs) necessary to scan, rename and file the older <br />documents. We have received a quote from Cities Digital to supply us with the necessary <br />hardware and to convert the paper files identified as priority. The conversion could take <br />place over the span of a couple years to help spread the cost out, although some agencies <br />(such as the City of Arden Hills) have opted to accomplish the transition in one year. <br /> <br />Conclusion: <br /> <br />Staff has asked Patrick Welsch, representing Cities Digital, to make a brief presentation to <br />the City Council to review and discuss the benefits of the software and to answer any <br />questions. Attached to this report is some additional information provided by the vendor <br />which should provide sufficient background information prior to the worksession <br />demonstration. <br /> <br />Respectfully submitted, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />________________________ <br />James Ericson <br />Community Development Director <br /> <br />