TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
1. Subject
title
Approve a Subscription and Services Agreement with Granicus, LLC, a Minnesota Limited Liability Company for a three-year term.
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2. Summary
The original Master Subscription Agreement between the City of Orange and Granicus, LLC was executed in October 2019. Since then, various contract amendments have been executed to add more software solutions. Apart from the Mobile Permitting & Registration as well as the Tax Collection software programs, the proposed Subscription and Services agreement consolidates all Granicus software solutions into a three-year term ending November 2028.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve a Subscription and Services Agreement with Granicus, LLC for a three-year term totaling $473,233.42; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the agreement(s) on behalf of the City.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total expense for the three-year agreement is $473,233.42 and will be funded through General Fund (100) and Public, Educational, and Government Fund (200):
200-0000-55999 PEG Program $137,854.79
100-0000-55999 General Fund $235,181.78
100-1601-55999 Information Systems $100,196.85
Total $473,233.42
The three-year agreement totals $473,233.42, payable in annual installments totaling $147,365.35 for Year 1, $155,175.27 for Year 2, and $170,692.80 for Year 3. Future installments will be requested in conjunction with the annual operating budget.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance Public Communication Strategy and Quality of Life.
Goal 5: Improve Infrastructure, Mobility, and Technology.
6. Discussion and Background
Granicus, LLC (Granicus) provides a suite of software solutions that are integral to the City’s operations, including platforms for agenda management, public records, citizen engagement, tax collection, short-term rental compliance/monitoring, 24/7 video streaming, and digital communications. These systems are actively utilized across multiple City departments with staff fully trained and proficient in their use.
Current Agreement and Amendments
The City initially entered into an agreement with Granicus in October 2019. This initial agreement transitioned the City from a paper-based agenda to a paperless, streamlined process utilizing Granicus’ flagship program, Legistar.
As a prominent and all-encompassing software service provider, for several years, the City then continued to expand the scope of the Granicus agreement through a series of software additions via contract amendments to improve City operations. Provided below is a general summary of the amendments made over the past several years.
• Amendment 1 (July 2020): The e-comment feature to the agenda management system added.
• Amendment 2 (September 2020): Website development and hosting services added.
• Amendment 3 (April 2021): Short-term rental registration and compliance monitoring software systems added.
• Amendment 4 (May 2021): Short-term rental host tax collection and 24/7 short-term rental hotline added.
• Amendment 5 (September 2021): Boards and Commissions feature added. This system streamlines the application and onboarding process for City Commissioners.
• Amendments 6-8 (November 2022- October 2024): All services consolidated into one amendment with the terms extended for one-year periods.
• Amendment 9 (May 2025): Updates to the video management system, voting system, and 24/7 stream.
Proposed Subscription and Services Agreement
On January 27, 2026, the City Council approved a professional services agreement with Hinderliter, De Llamas & Associates (HdL), in part, to provide Short-Term Rental (STR) administration services. To date, STR administration services have been provided by Granicus software solutions. With the City Council’s approval of the HdL agreement, staff will begin implementing the HdL software to support the administrative tracking and transient occupancy tax collection.
During this time, to ensure there is no lapse in STR administration services, the Granicus STR administration software is included during the first year of the three-year term. After year-one is completed in November 2026, the STR administration services will transfer to the HdL program.
All other software systems, including select programs related to the City’s STR program for Code Enforcement purposes (e.g., rental activity audit, address identification/monitoring, 24/7 hotline, and compliance outreach) will continue through years two and three.
Staff recognize the importance of regularly soliciting proposals to ensure services are rendered at the greatest value to the City. However, Granicus software solutions are embedded in the City’s day-to-day workflow, with staff fully trained in using these systems. Transitioning to an alternative provider would require significant time, cost, and retraining. Continuing with Granicus ensures operational stability and leverages existing staff expertise. Therefore, staff recommend the City Council approve the Subscription and Services agreement with Granicus for a three-year term.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Subscription and Services Agreement with Granicus, LLC