Oak Park communications heads to the Cloud

The village of Oak Park will soon level-up its communications through a redesigned website, a community engagement portal, and a new customer service hub. The village’s current software provider, Granicus, will be tasked with carrying out this online overhaul. Granicus has been the village’s software vendor for over a decade.

“We have an existing relationship with Granicus and have grown to trust the products they provide,” said Oak Park spokesperson Erik Jacobsen.

While no contract was approved, the village board directed staff, July 25, to move forward with the proposal to expand on the services Granicus currently provides by upgrading to the Granicus Government Experience Cloud. The suite of programs is something of a one-stop shop, offering all the necessary resources needed to implement the village’s communications plans.

Using Granicus makes for a more streamlined approach than utilizing several different software companies.

Under the terms of the proposal, the village would update its existing Granicus subscription to include the programs provided in the Government Experience Cloud, entering into a three-year contractual agreement.

Currently, the village spends about $45,000 on Granicus yearly. Its current contract has an annual fee of $32,258. The village also spends $10,000 a year on routine maintenance and $3,300 in email marketing fees.

The new arrangement would cost the village an extra $50,000 to $55,000, as the village’s existing Granicus expenses will be rolled into the new contract. The majority of the increased costs are largely due to the community service hub and engagement portal, according to Jacobsen.

The first-year costs, according to the proposal, includes $74,797 in one-time setup and configuration fees, as well as $48,077 in prorated subscription fees, with credit for subscription fees already paid, for a total of $105,243.

For years two and three, the village is expected to pay $94,119 and $100,707 for subscription fees, respectively.

The village board was widely pleased with the services Granicus provides, except for Trustee Ravi Parakkat, who said the Government Experience Cloud does not include a mobile phone app.

“I’m not there yet in saying that this is the solution for the future,” he told his fellow board members. “So you’ll have to convince me or outvote me.”